Trojan Fritz ups record to 10-0

Fairfield senior wrestler Michael Fritz upped his season record to 10-0 with a win by decision (10-3) over Bondurant-Farrar?s Louis Long on Thursday night.

Fritz is currently ranked No. 5 in Iowa in Class 2A at the 195-pound weight class.

?It?s nice to see what others think of you,? Fritz said. ?But rankings aren?t that big of a deal. You can?t let them intimidate you if you?re facing a highly ranked opponent ? nor can you get overconfident if you have a high ranking.?

Fritz is Fairfield?s top wrestler.

He gets to the point pretty quick when it comes to his top individual goal for the 2016-17 season.

?State,? he said. ?State. My first goal is to make it to state.?

He?s come close.

As a junior, Fritz was one match away from qualifying for districts. As a sophomore, he was only one match away from earning a state-meet trip.

At state, eight wrestlers get to stand on the podium.

?I?d love to get to that podium and stand in one of those upper spots,? Fritz said.

If he gets there, it won?t be due to luck.

?This sport is all about hard work,? Fritz said. ?You can?t start on your wrestling once the season starts ? you must start training very hard in the summer.?

Which Fritz does.

?Wrestling is a tough sport and so I?m always working at it,? Fritz said. ?I enjoy it. It?s such a mental sport. You can be strong and have good technique, but if you?re not focused on winning or you show up for any practice not willing to work hard, you won?t be the best you can be.

?Some guys just aren?t cut out for this sport. You must be motivated.?

Fritz said part of his motivation comes from his family and teammates.

?I have a great family that is very supportive of me,? he said. ?And I know my teammates are looking up to me ? so that fires me up, too.?

Fairfield is 2-1 in duals this season.

?I?d like to beat the rest of our teams in our conference this season,? Fritz said. ?That?s our goal.

?I do have confidence in my teammates. We can be very competitive. We must show up ready to perform.?