I have been thinking back on my interview with freshman Jacob Taplin from Tuesday for writing this story. One thing he said to me that stood out was how senior Logan Grove has been such a big influence on him in the sport. A few thoughts on this: https://twitter.com/echo_sports/status/1357060036179222528

Taplin said about Grove: "I don’t know if I would even be in wrestling without Logan. When I was in 7th grade, he was a really good wrestler then, but he really helped put confidence into me. He helped me grow as both a wrestler and a person."

When I was in high school, it seemed like in many cases seniors thought their role with underclassmen should be to make life miserable for them. Some sort of weird tough love. I hope and feel like this has changed quite a bit now.

I have to think one key element to good programs is a welcoming environment that makes kids excited about being in that sport. Juniors and seniors can have a huge impact on their program by realizing how much of a positive impact they can have on young athletes.

Logan Grove is the lone senior on a shorthanded Osakis wrestling team. They won't win hardly any matches this year, but watching Grove on the sidelines and how engaged he was with all his teammates was neat to see Tuesday. That kind of attitude resonates a ton in team culture.