Wrestler moves to elite status

by George Thompson
When Webster wrestler Logan Storley takes to the mat he goes where few have tread.
Last week the junior recently wrestled his way to a fifth consecutive State B championship at 171 pounds after posting a 44-0 record during the regular season. Logan was selected boys prep althlete of the year by the South Dakota Sportswiters Association this year.
This championship was capped by an 11-6 victory over Steven Hotzbauer of Wagner which coach John Schiley admits would have been more impressive had Logan been allowed to wrestle a less conservative match. “We just wanted to make sure he didn’t make any mistakes and got the win. He could have scored higher if we hadn’t held him back.”
“This year was probably easier than some of the past ones,” Logan admits. “I only wrestled three full matches. The rest were pins or tech falls.”
In fact, Logan’s toughest match was against close friend Robert Kokesh who fell to him 3-2 early in the season.
His high record now stands at 217-2.
Schiley believes Storley’s success is a combination of natural talent and exposure to elite wrestling techniques.
“Logan has retained the speed and moves from when he was smaller and now wrestling in the upper weights most guys can’t stay with him,” Schiley said. “It’s actually been better for him to move up.”
Despite those factors, Schiley and his staff pushed the 171 pounder hard in the practice room following the match with Kokesh. “Logan has gained a lot of valuable experience over the summers and we keep right on it during the regular season,” his coach added.
Storley says he hasn’t changed his training regime from year to year. He spends a lot of time looking at videos of previous matches and of upcoming opponents. “I look at my past matches for any weaknesses or mistakes I might have made. I also look for an opponent’s best moves. Then I’ll go to the mat and develop some counter moves.” he said in a similar interview last year.
Storley now moves into some elite company with his fifth straight championship. The State B has two five-time champs in Lincoln McIlravy of Philip and Hannon Hisek of Bon Homme.
If he wins one more state title, he'll become the second wrestler in state history to win six. Kirk Wallman of Freeman won six titles from 1984-1989 and went 201-0 for his career.
Logan’s off season agenda includes a March tourney in Virginia Beach, VA, the Olympic training camp in Colorado Springs, CO, the Disney Duals in Orlando, FL and the Junior Olympics tourney in southern California. For the next few weeks though, you’ll find Logan down in the wrestling room working with younger AAU wrestlers.
Coach and mentor Schiley concluded, "There won’t be any senior letdown with Logan. We plan to push just as hard next season.”
After graduation Storley plans to wrestle with a Division I school.