If everything follows suit, Zack Gawboy and Jonathan Dill will enter the pinnacle of their record-breaking high school wrestling careers when their senior campaign begins in December.
Zack is a three-time captain of the team, a three-time state qualifier and already holds the Crimson’s all-time pin record (62). He set single-season records for team points (196 in 2009-10) and two-point near falls (18 last year), and has a good chance to finish in the program’s all-time top three in wins, team points, takedowns and has a chance to finish first in two-point near falls. While his own competitive streak keeps him motivated, he is also driven by a desire to go to the Naval Academy, which, needless to say, doesn’t have moderate standards. “I like to push myself,” says Zack, who looks up to his older brother, Robbie, in the Marine Corps. “I like a challenge. I like winning.”
Jonathan, a two-time captain and two-time state qualifier, holds all-time team records in wins (124), team points (583) and three-point near falls, and he has a good shot of finishing first in takedowns and reversals. Like Zack, Jonathan looks to his family for inspiration. His father was a wrestler at Augsburg, and his grandpa, 84, is still running six days a week. “They both work hard,” says Jonathan, who set team single-season records in three-point near falls (34) and major decisions (12) last year, “and I look up to them for that.”
Zack and Jonathan, both near-4.0 students, also motivate and test each other, which helps them prepare for tough competition. “We’re competitive with each other,” says Zack, who became the school’s first state champ as a ninth grader in the program’s first state appearance. “We wrestle with each other in practice and we have some pretty cool bouts.”
Wrestling coach Troy Seubert sees both captains as integral to the team’s success. “They have changed the culture of Maple Grove wrestling, during competition and in the practice room,” he says. “They’re both great young men, and they’re a huge asset to the program.”
