Shakopee junior Owen Webster has been wrestling since he was a second-grader and has developed into one of the state’s best over that time.

Webster is the Class 3A defending state champion at 152 pounds, accumulating an overall record of 32-5. He has moved up a weight class — to 160 pounds — for this wrestling season.

Here is a closer look at Webster, who also was a running back for the football team in the fall:

 

Q: What is the best movie you’ve seen in the last year?

A: “Homefront.”

 

Q: Three songs I never skip on my iPod are …

A: … “No Juice” by Lil Boosie; “2 Wings and A Crown” by Dizzy Wright, and “Frankie Lymon” by Lil Herb.

 

Q: Three words or phrases your friends or teammates might use to describe you?

A: Fun, hard working, and intense.

 

Q: What are your three favorite apps?

A: iTube; Twitter and Snapchat.

 

Q: Who do you like to follow the most on Twitter, and why?

A: Gophers wrestling, so I know how they are doing.

 

Q: At my first varsity practice, I felt …

A: … at home.

 

Q: What is your favorite meal before a match?

A: Ham and cheese sandwich on Hawaiian bread.

 

Q: To get focused for a match, I …

A: ... joke around with my teammates. I wrestle better when I am relaxed and having fun.

 

Q: I know I have an edge on an opponent when …

A: ... I get the first takedown.

 

Q: What did you work on most in the offseason?

A: I wrestle different styles, Greco-Roman and Freestyle. Greco-Roman is my favorite. I won a national title this last summer at the USA Cadet Nationals. For wrestling, the offseason is only one or two months.

 

Q: What are your goals for the 2014-15 season?

A: To win another state title in wrestling. Football is over, but I was hoping to rush for a 1,000 yards this season. I was just a little short with approximately 950 yards.

 

Q: How do you balance school and sports during the year?

A: Try to stay focused and utilize my time the best I can.

 

Q: Who is your school’s biggest rival, and why?

A: Prior Lake. We have lost to them in the Section 2 finals the last four years

 

Q: If you could change one thing about high school sports, what would it be?

A: In wrestling, I would like it if we would go to the college rules. It makes wrestling more exciting and fun to watch.

 

Q: Name one sport that you wish you could play, and why?

A: Hockey. I think it would be fun to check people.

 

Q: Who is your favorite college or pro sports team and why?

A: The Gophers because they’re our home town team.

 

Q: In 10 years, I hope I’m …

A: … still wrestling at the senior level.

 

Q: Do you have a secret talent – and if so, what is it?

A: I like to surf behind our boat, not in the ocean. It’s a lot of fun.

 

Q: What is the best sports advice you ever received?

A: It’s your mindset and your perspective that defines who you are.

RON HAGGSTROM