High school wrestling preview: Avon Lake's Will Schnabel is comfortable and confident

Avon Lake senior Will Schnabel said his junior season was a gradual climb of success that ultimately led to having his hand raised after a match at the Division I state tournament. "Coming into last season … I think it was a little rough in the beginning," Schnabel said. "I didn't have, like, the best of starts but as the season went on I developed a lot more. I feel like my wrestling was great (by the end). "I feel like coming into this season I'm a lot more prepared and I just need to keep growing and learning throughout the season. It's a tough schedule and we're going to some tough tournaments, and that should definitely have me more prepared and ready to make it back to Columbus this year." Schnabel was stuck behind several solid wrestlers in the logjam that was the middle of the Shoremen lineup during his first two varsity seasons. He finally got his chance last season and did not disappoint, compiling a 34-10 record in his first full season in the lineup. Then came the postseason and Schnabel hit another level. "Yeah, I think for him, it was about confidence," Shoremen coach Scott Sedlick said. "And once he started to wrestle some matches and gain some confidence and wrestle with some good guys and then beat a couple good guys, he was realizing that, 'Oh, man, I'm just as good as all these guys. I'm just gonna go out there and wrestle my best to see what happens.' When you have that kind of carefree attitude and you go out there and open up and wrestle … sometimes that's what you need to make it to the next level." Schnabel won all three matches — including a 5-4 win over top-seeded Tyler Rowes of North Royalton — to capture the 157-pound sectional championship, then won both Day 1 matches at Perrysburg to reach the district semifinals. After losing by major decision to Perrysburg's Jake Wood, Schnabel bounced back to defeat Medina's Nick Kaplack 9-0 and earn a berth to the state tournament. "You have to go down there and witness it all and be a part of it," Sedlick said. "Being in the tunnel and coming out and wrestling under the big stage like that — that's good to get that under your belt so that the next year, hopefully when you get down there, it's not the same (nervous) feeling. You feel like you were are kind of at home there and you're ready to wrestle." Not only will Schnabel feel more comfortable wrestling in front of nearly 20,000 fans at Value City Arena if he can advance to state again, he'll already know what it's like to win a match under the bright lights on one of the 10 mats. He bounced back after an opening loss at the state tournament to grab a 4-2 victory over Miamisburg senior Lincoln Krull in the consolation bracket. "That was absolutely a confidence boost," Schnabel said. "Winning that match down there made me feel a lot better. I would have been upset if I went 0-2 and felt like what was the point. So I was able to get that experience and it made me feel a lot better about myself." Schnabel was accompanied by heavyweight senior Clay Broadhurst, who was making his second trip to Columbus. He's hoping to again have some company if he ends his senior year at The Schott. "We have a really strong team this year and I definitely think there's a lot of guys that could make it to state," Schnabel said. "I absolutely love wrestling for Avon Lake, and the program has taken a massive turn, like it's not even questionable, when looking at the records and how our team did before (Sedlick and his coaching staff) came in. We also have just a great room and a great group of wrestlers, a lot of guys that put a lot of heart in this sport." It's the kind of quote Sedlick is looking for out of one of his top performers on the mat and in the practice room as the Shoremen look to win their third straight Southwestern Conference championship. "Yeah, I'm looking for that senior leadership," Sedlick said. "Having him out there as a captain with Jack Valerino and Gavin Andrews, those guys are all seniors working together. They all feed off each other. They're great leaders, they're great kids, they're great student-athletes … I like everything about those guys, just 100 percent good stuff all around." While the captains will aim to elevate all the younger wrestlers, Schnabel will have his eye on one freshman in particular … his brother Tate. "We've never really wrestled together so it's going to be fun," the senior said. "I've got to watch him wrestle in youth here and there but we've never really been on the same team. So I've been looking forward to this year and us sharing the (practice) room together, getting a chance to work with him, help him out and coach him a little bit. I'm really hoping he has a great year." Contact Shaun Bennett at (440) 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @ShaunBennettct on X.