By Vern Hee

Wrestler Nick Nelson is the featured wrestler for this week for his ability to play with pain.

Nelson is 11-4 as a varsity wrestler in the 120-pound weight class.

Nelson is a sophomore in his second year at the sport. He missed last week to a painful shoulder injury. He hopes to come back for the meet against Faith Lutheran.

Prior to this injury, Nelson wrestled in pain most of the time. The shoulder was just too much for him to continue.

Nelson has been wrestling through a painful knee injury all year. Some time last year in soccer Nelson tore his meniscus in his knee.

This injury to his knee has taught him to live with pain and has made him a stronger athlete.

People are amazed the kid wrestles with his sore knee, but Nelson insists the knee only bothers him during the long practices. The matches he said really are no problem.

“I played the whole season of soccer. There were a couple of practices that I was not able to go to because I was in so much pain and could not walk. I could barely get out of bed.

“The practices are the hardest on my knee,” said Nelson.

He plans to have the knee fixed during the summer.

The sophomore wrestler is someone the Trojans will miss in the upcoming dual with Faith if he can not return. If Nelson can not come back, it forces the Trojans to wrestle an inexperienced wrestler in his place.

During the soccer season he did not miss a game, but the injury did mean he had to rest up a lot.

Nelson has played soccer all his life since he was four so he said wrestling was harder for him because it is newer. He started the sport at the urging of friends and now he is one of the top varsity wrestlers on the team.

“Soccer has been something that I have done my whole life. I played soccer since I was four. I have been doing wrestling for only two years. I got interested in wrestling by watching my cousin, who wrestles for Arbor View during the summer. Then some soccer friends told me to try out for it because it’s fun and challenging.” he said.

Nelson works hard and keeps his 3.8 GPA up. He hopes to attend college and study sports medicine. If he goes to college, he will be the first from his family attend college.