Rochester Post-Bulletin, 3-5-2004
Masching Feels Pressure
Hayfield wrestler successfully opens bid for third straight state title
by Neil Tardy
Everyone who competes at the state wrestling tournament feels the pressure. But it's safe to say that Shane Masching is feeling a different kind of pressure this weekend.
On the one hand, Masching is feeling the pressure of expectation. The Hayfield senior is vying for his third successive state championship—and he edged closer to that goal on Thursday after winning first two matches in the 130-pound bracket at the state Class A individual wrestling tournament at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
After decisioning Frazee senior Blake Bristlen 8-2 in the quarterfinals, Masching was asked about the unique challenges of the first day of the state tournament.
"The first day is very hard. You got all the jitters," he said. "The atmosphere is unbelievable."
That kind of pressure is something that 1,343 other wrestlers competing in the Class A, AA and AAA individual tournaments this weekend can relate to. But of course, Masching is not just any competitor. He's one of the few who has yet to lose this season—his record through Thursday is 38-0. Then there's the pressure of being one of the very few two-time defending champions in the entire tournament. (He won his Class A state titles at 125 pound in 2002 and 2003.)
So what can happen when you win like Masching—as so few do—is that expectations rise to levels that can be unrealistic and unfair. For instance, Masching's first match Thursday was a tight one. What mattered is that he got by New York Mills junior Brent Weller 5-3. But what stood out, at least to one well-meaning questioner, was that the score was so close.
"That stuff kind of tears at you," Masching admits.
He adds, "When you get up here every kid is good. If you're not on top of your game, somebody will catch you."
Hayfield coach Chris Steele points out that those close matches can result from Masching's opponents being on the ultra-defensive, trying not to give him even the slightest opening.
"Guys just don't wrestle him, but that just means Shane has to work a little harder," says Steele. "I think he'll do better on Friday, and I expect him to wrestle his best match in the finals."
Expectations, again.
But even with all of that, it isn't just that. For Masching, there's also the pressure of knowing that, no matter what happens this weekend, Masching's wrestling career is coming to an end. Not just his high school career, but his days in wrestling. Over. Period. For now, at least.
When Masching finishes high school, he says he'll work with his brother in the family construction business. In helping out over the past three years, he's already shingled his share of roofs. Masching says he'll looking forward to the next stage of his life, and the opportunity to support himself with a full-time job. And it's not as if he'll never set foot on a wrestling mat again. He could always decide to go to school and compete collegiately. And he says he plans to, at some point, help out Steele and the Hayfield wrestling program.
But after this weekend, things will definitely be different.
"It's going to be a huge change when next winter comes around and I'm no longer wrestling," he says.