Neal wants to add to lore
Post Falls High’s wrestling program has a reputation for sending dominant heavyweights onto the mat.
Recent stars Burt Beamer, Esteban Arana, Matt Smith and R. J. Moss come immediately to mind.
The latest trying to add his name to that illustrious line is senior Kyle Neal.
He may have started out a bit slowly this season, but his record sits at 24-8 and he’s ranked No. 1 among 4A competitors in the region and No. 2 in the state.
His story isn’t one of records and rankings, though – it’s one of improvement and maturation.
Neal, relatively undersized at 230 pounds, said he has come miles, both as a wrestler and a person, since the start of the season.
“Most of those losses came early in the year, and I’ve gotten a lot stronger and more aggressive,” said Neal, who was fourth at the Clearwater Classic, went undefeated at the River City Duals and also took top honors in the George Wild Memorial this year. “I don’t know exactly why, but it seems like I’ve been putting things together a lot better.”
Neal said it could be just a simple matter of getting older and wiser.
“You could say that I’ve grown up some,” said Neal, a starting offensive lineman on the Trojans’ co-Inland Empire League team last fall. “I’ve definitely got a lot more confidence now than I did before.”
Trojans coach Dennis Amende looks back on Neal’s career and marvels at the transformation.
“He’s a big deal – at Post Falls, we’ve always prided ourselves on our heavyweights, and he fits right in with that,” Amende said. “Of course, we’ve had him for four years, and this is the first year that he’s produced where he’s had the potential to produce.
“He’s come a long ways since the beginning of the year and is an entirely different kid. He seems to have figured out that he’s capable of doing some great things.”
Those great things sometimes require taking down some great competitors – both in talent and in size.
In many matches, Neal is up against rivals 10, 20 or 30 pounds heavier.
For the new Neal, though, it’s all a matter of taking them as they come.
“It’s pretty much match-by-match,” Neal said. “Sometimes I have to work my shot and sometimes I have to figure out other ways. Knowing that I can do it probably makes the biggest difference.”
Post Falls finishes out its regular season in a dual tonight at Sandpoint.