Only online: Q&A with Alex Bontz

Last season, Andover Central wrestler Alex Bontz finished the season with a perfect, tidy 40-0 record.

This season, Bontz takes a 35-1 record into his last high school tournament, the Class 5A championship at Hartman Arena. Does that one loss bother him? Of course it does.

“If he wasn’t upset about it, you would think something was wrong,” ACHS wrestling coach Chris Saferite said. “He took it the right way and has even turned it up a couple more notches, because that’s just a feeling you don’t want to have. … He came into the practice room and he’s worked harder even than he has before. “

Indeed, the 3-1 loss to Kyle Ash of Tulsa (Okla.) Union might have been the best thing to happen to Bontz, who has won 17 straight matches since then.

As he wraps up a high school career that ranks among the best in Andover Central history, Bontz sat down with the Andover American last week to talk about - among other things - how that loss still drives him.

What’s the toughest thing about wrestling?

The toughest thing about wrestling definitely has to be the mental aspect of it, rather than just the physical practicing every day, getting in shape if you think you can beat your opponent. Like having to work your hardest every day - day in, day out. Just the mental aspect, I would say.

A lot of kids, who have the potential crumble under that, don’t reach their full potential. 

How many hours of practice do you put in a week?

A week, lets see - we have 40 minutes of conditioning in the morning.  And then I’d count weights, that’s a pretty good workout, that’s about an hour. And then about a two-hour wrestling practice. Thats 3 ½ a day, five days a week.  About 20 hours a week and maybe a workout on Saturday if we can. 

What are your expectations for the year?

At the beginning of the year my expectation and goal were to go undefeated again of course but I ended up wrestling a really good kid, learned a lot from that loss.  That really didn’t change much.  Now the overall goal is winning another state title and hopeing to get a team state title again also.

What caused you to lose to that kid?

You know, his partner is the fourth-ranked kid in the nation at 182. So he’s drilling with a kid that’s three weight classes above him that’s also ranked in the top five in the nation.  And when you have that every day - I mean, you adapt to that.  You learn how to shoot in on bigger guys. Of course I’m not even bigger than that guy. Just having a good practice partner. ... I don’t want to discredit any of my partners but none of them are ranked in the nation, of course.  So just being able to shoot in and finish on someone of that caliber and adapting to that - I haven’t really had that chance. That’s why I am so excited about college, because I will have good practice partners to drill with. 

So when you got beat, were you physically beat or were you mentally beat? Which one, or was it both?

I wasn’t that tired at the end of the match. I’m in pretty good shape but I just couldn’t get that last takedown in. Like there was about 30 seconds left and I was trying to shoot. He’s a dang good wrestler; I just have to learn how to keep going at it the whole match. I wasn’t as aggressive as I should have been in the first period also. So, I learned from that.

What are your expectations in college?

I know going in there I’m going to have to put in a lot of hard work. I’m behind a lot of these kids. Most college athletes that are wrestlers, that’s their main sport they do it all year round. ... I’m a football player and a track athlete. So once I start just committing to wrestling year round and getting good practice partners, my overall goal is to be an NCAA champion. That’s the main goal; it’s going to be a lot of hard work.

So what are the expectations after college?

I am going to the Air Force Academy, of course. I will be serving five years after and right now I’m not positive what career choice I’m pursuing. They do have the No. 1 business management program in the nation. ... I am also considering being a pilot. I am not quite sure yet. Just hard work in whatever I do, pretty much.

What are some of the things you do in the offseason to prepare?

It will definitely change now since I won’t be getting ready for football season next year. So up until this I’ve just in the summer been running, lifting, all kinds of conditioning. But now since high school is over I’ll be wrestling (only). Continuously getting better in that aspect.

What does wrestling teach you?

I definitely would not even be a fraction of who I am today without wrestling. I mean, it’s taught me discipline, hard work, dedication - that’s how I maintain straight A’s. Just learning the mental aspects I was talking about learning to work hard. What you put in is what you are going to get out. So it’s that easy, pretty much. A lot of kids don’t understand that. They think it will just come to you sometimes. You gotta work for it.

So wrestling teaches you discipline?

Discipline is mental toughness, hard work.

What’s important to you right now besides wrestling, and why?

One of the things that most important to me is getting a good education, of course. I mean, wrestling’s a plus for going to the Air Force Academy but overall it’s the education and the discipline I’ll learn there. Like the goal of putting the country before yourself and learning integrity and all that kind of stuff.  Wrestling is definitely going to be a plus in college but that’s the main thing I am looking for. 

The main thing the academy tries to teach you, of course, it’s the military. It's that Air Force is putting the country before yourself. Putting others before yourself. I’m just hoping to become a good leader and gain some of those characteristics. 

Why did you choose the Air Force? Did you have scholarships from other schools? Did you look at other schools?

I’ve definitely been talking ... this past summer. I’ve been talking to a lot of wrestling colleges and some football colleges, but not as much, and I actually took a trip out there for a football camp. It was a senior league football camp and the benefits were a major part.

I was just blown away by the kinds of people I met there. How good of people they were. Like how to not lie, cheat or steal. Like you’ll get into so much trouble. Like a tiny little lie. I just love that kind of stuff. Being surrounded by good people, world class education. I believe its ranked 10th in the nation for education. Just all that put together, and they're building their wrestling program up, so that’s even more. 

Who’s the coach?

The head coach is Joel Sharet right now. And I’ve mainly kept in contact with coach Barber, the assistant coach. He’s mainly the recruiting coach. I know him a little better.

Why wrestling? When did you begin wrestling, and why? 

I began wrestling when I was eight years old. And it’s just been in my family. Like all my uncles wrestled. My dad was a state champion. His dad started the Wichita Wrestling Club, which is the dominant wrestling club in Wichita. It’s just been in our family. I mean, I remember starting when I was eight, crying at every practice. But I came to love it. 

How does your school life fit with wrestling, if you're putting in 20 hours a week?

I mean, its kind of like getting into a routine every day. But I still have the weekend to relax - so pretty much on the week it's morning conditioning, school - I don’t have last hour, it’s a privilege of being a senior. So I get to work on some homework then. Practice, come home. Any homework I have from about 6 or so until I try to get to bed around 10 to 10:30 and just work on it from there.  Just know, you've got to keep your grades up. That’s the important thing.

What do you sacrifice most for the sport?

I’d say the thing you sacrifice the most is doing what normal kids do on weekends. I have a tournament every Saturday. It lasts all day long. Kids are out - I mean, I don’t know what they're doing.

But I still have time to relax in the offseason. It doesn’t really feel like sacrificing to me. With me, I am a competitor. I’m driven to compete. Just try my best. So if I just had a Saturday and did whatever I wanted, I would probably go crazy.

When you’re undefeated or have one loss, how do you measure improvement?

Mainly now its going to be adapting to the college wrestling style which is - you know - earlier in the season. Last year I would do a lot of tying up, just muscling around my opponent, like doing a fireman’s carry to their back.

But none of that’s going to work in college. Just quick movements, quick shots and I’ve had a pretty good partner. He use to wrestle at Missouri and he hurt his knee and he’s going to WSU on their club team, and he’s coming in working with me.  And just from two weeks ago I can see such an improvement. Like being able to shoot in on him and get away from him. It’s boosted my confidence a lot. I think when ... state comes, I’ll be able to dominate that kid who I beat 1-0. There no way he should even have a margin of 3 points against me, I think, when I’m taking shots.

Who’s your toughest competition?

His name is Tyler McMichael from Ark City.  He’s ranked second in 5A and third overall in class. So he’s a pretty good wrestler. 

Did you wrestle him?

Yeah, I actually wrestled him at Rose Hill in the finals. And first period, I don’t think any one took a shot. I was too cautious. Second period, I escaped with in the first 10 seconds, didn’t take a shot. I really don’t know what I was doing that match but I ended up holding him down the whole entire third period. So if I can escape, I can hold him down - all I need to do is add some shots, some takedowns.