It’s been a busy couple of years for Broken Bow wrestler Alexa Schultz. Last year as an eighth grader she placed fifth at the state junior high competition. Now a freshman at Broken Bow High, this year she wrestled in both the high school and junior high programs going 30-6 on the year and winning the state junior high championship at 133 pounds. All of her defeats came at the high school level. She placed fifth at the Sallisaw tournament, went 2-2 in high school regionals and just missed qualifying for the state tournament.
“I would say the future is pretty bright for this young lady,” said her coach, Dustin Lasell.
In addition to wrestling, Alexa is also into powerlifting, track and cross country and, at least for the moment, basketball.
Alexa didn’t really show an interest in wrestling until she took the dare of some boys.
“In the seventh grade there was a group of guys in my class talking about wrestling and I popped off ‘you couldn’t beat me up though’. So, they kind of dared me to show them. So, I went to practice for a week, and it was tough, but I fell in love with it. I like the excitement of being on the mat and knowing what’s going on and I love winning. Traveling with the boys and coach is so much fun. It’s like a really big family.”
At junior high state this year, Alexa had to work her way up the ladder to even get to the finals.
“I had a pretty good year and was undefeated, but I didn’t get seeded or get a first-round bye and so I had to wrestle my way up. The girl I faced in the finals hadn’t wrestled at all having gotten a first- round bye and then a forfeit so she was rested and confident. But I beat her 9-0 anyway.”
One of her role models is former Savage wrestler Kamden Rodgers.
“I just saw how hard he worked in practice and decided I wanted to be that way too.”
So, what lies ahead for the young freshman?
“This summer I’m hoping to attend some wrestling camps in Missouri and also the Oklahoma State wrestling camp so that next year I will qualify for the state high school tournament.”
