With the Chesterton High School (CHS) wrestling season coming to a close, senior Hayden DeMarco caps a successful sports career that others can strive for. He credits his advancements to CHS graduates Aiden Torres and Sergio Lemley. As a freshman, he was taken under Torres and Lemley’s wings and was instructed on keeping his nerves steady during a match, focusing, keeping his pace, and to try different methods out during matches if something failed to work.
DeMarco celebrates his various wrestling highlights, such as winning semi-state for the third time, and winning at the Al Smith invitational, which features some of the best teams from the Midwest.
“[After winning the Al Smith]…I had to be a leader, I had to be that leading role for everyone to look up to and I needed to be that motivator. If I can do it, the guys can do it with these coaches as well. Showing what others can achieve and winning semi-state for the third time was a great feeling,” DeMarco said.
From Michael Jordan to Serena Williams every star athlete experiences adversity, or challenges in their journey. Sometimes those challenges can be extended over a period of time, or they are just heat-of-the-moment challenges, like nerves. Even an accomplished wrestler like DeMarco felt this.
“I went in there not doing my match at all, just kind of scared, nerves got to me. Once I was under the lights…[I] just kind of got frozen and hit a shot, realized that it worked but it was just kind of surprising that it worked…[and was] just stuck in the mud frozen,” DeMarco said, after contemplating his championship match experience.
Demarco ended his senior season with a 46-1 record, with his only loss coming in the State Finals. His runner-up finish caps off his career where he wrestled his way to a 166-15 record over his four years. Despite the championship match loss, DeMarco still took pride in his performance in the state tournament.
“One of the semi-finals was great, I knew coming into the semi-final match I could win as long as I did my work and did my match. It was phenomenal after winning that, it felt great going back to the hotel knowing I’m about to wrestle in the state finals, but it felt weird. I was happy with being there, normally before matches, I get real nervous, just really anxious before my matches, but it was cool just being under the lights, seeing everybody look at you, cheering for you. It was a really great experience,” DeMarco said.
In addition to wrestling, DeMarco has also played for CHS’s football team. He had many accomplishments, but his best is definitely breaking the school record for career tackles, which was formerly held by his brother, Gage. Demarco believes that wrestling kept him in shape during the offseason and he suggests any football player to join wrestling due to the buildup of cardio and strength athletes gain, which in turn aids him in increasing his stamina and improving his performance in both sports.
With his wrestling career coming to a close, he leaves behind advice for others looking to join the sport.
“Always push forward and make sure you continue to wrestle. I played football and sometimes I didn’t wrestle because I was in football season…I really wish that I always wrestled, kept the cardio up, and kept working out as well,” DeMarco concluded.
