The Chapin high school wrestling team is known for excellence. They have top finishes and great wrestlers, but this year stands out from all the rest. Five Chapin high school underclassmen made all-region, including juniors Stuart Hope and Nate Polly, and sophomores Chase Owens, Cody Brundage, and Scott Swindell. They each have excelled in their weight classes, and each of them had winning records.

112-pound Stuart hope had an individual region record of 4-0. He is ranked first in his class and first in the state.

Nate Polly has a region record of 3-1, in the 130-pound weight class, was ranked first in his class and first in the state.

Chase Owens had a region record of 3-1 as well, in the 135-pound weight class.

Cody brundage is also all-region in the 145-pound class.

Finally, Scott Swindell had a region record of 3-1 in the 152-pound class, and was ranked second. Each of them were in the top 3 of their class, and none of them lost more than one match each in the region.

But all that success did not come easily

“I don’t eat for days to keep my weight. If I went up, id have to change classes, and I like it where I am,” said Junior Stuart Hope.

Maintaining the weight is a very hard problem for many of the wrestlers.

Nate Polly uses gum to keep his weight down.

“If I chew gum, it takes away the cravings for food. That’s how I keep my weight down before a match”.

Hope, along with being ranked first in the state, has been named region wrestler of the year. He hasn’t lost a single match, earning him the No.1 spot in the state. He pushes himself to stay “down on his weight.”

Some days he simply doesn’t eat.

“I won’t lie. It is hard to stay disciplined enough, but that’s what wrestling does for you. It disciplines you.”