Jack Lopriore Reflects on his Wrestling Career and Hopes to Finish it with a Bang.

SEATTLE-Senior wrestler Jack Lopriore started wrestling when he was 8 but left the sport after a year and returned his freshman year.

“I regret not continuing because I could’ve been so much better when I entered high school,” says Lopriore.

When he entered high school, he had high expectations for himself and was familiar with the sport. Lopriore wanted to be the best on the team so he would work as hard as he could and spend time with the coaches discussing what he could improve on.

Wrestling at O’Dea was a very demanding sport, and it was something he had to commit to if he wanted to be great. Whether it was the long and painful practices or the early morning tournaments Lopriore pulled through and did what he needed to do to be the best.

“Wrestling has taught me to embrace any hardships that I face, it has pushed me to put in hard work and face tuff challenges,” said Lopriore.

Lopriore’s freshman year had given him an understanding of what the program was like and tested him if he still wanted to pursue his career. The sport had been very different compared to any other because it was a solo sport and he was the only one who could control his game.

“As a person, I have seen myself get used to things that are difficult that I wouldn’t see others try to face,” said Lopriore.

In Lopriore’s sophomore year, he decided he wanted to fully commit to the sport but had to face some extreme challenges during his season. He had gotten Covid-19 Which led to him missing multiple weeks during a shortened season. He had missed almost the entire season and he hadn’t been able to wrestle or even enjoy his season.

“I realized what I missed out on and felt a sense of guilt, and even now I think of how much better I would be if I wrestled sophomore year,” says Lopriore.

After an unfortunate sophomore season, it would usually make somebody lose motivation or hurt their mentality on the sport but Lopriore didn’t give up. Lopriore had continued to work by joining wrestling camps and going to the gym to regain his strength and stamina to prepare for his junior year.

Lopriore had made it to regionals by placing top 8 in the Metro League Tournament and he had a very successful season coming off his sophomore season.

In his senior year, Lopriore is now the team captain and again has a focused mindset while also practicing with the younger guys on the team and training them to become better wrestlers.

“My goals are to win the Metro Tournament and carry on O’Dea’s wrestling legacy onto the younger guys, the sophomore and junior class is probably one of the best groups of guys O’Dea has seen in a long time,” said Lopriore.

The wrestling program for Lopriore has been held in a special place in his heart and he will never forget everything he has done inside and outside of school for the sport. Wrestling has had many different aspects that made Lopriore fall in love with the sport which has kept him so involved.

“What I love most is the comradery in the team, unlike any sport wrestling by far will get you the closest to your teammates and it's something really special that I can’t describe,” says Lopriore.