Feb. 25 -- WAGNER, S.D. -- Gannon Knebel knows with the new high school wrestling scoring system in place, the aggressor in a match is more likely to come out on top.
For 42 times this season, Knebel's found himself on the winning end with a mindset he's come to appreciate.
"It's all about scoring points," he said. "Last year, it was easier to stall and stay in matches, but now it's more of an offensive game and that's what I enjoy."
With a 42-1 match record wrestling at 190 pounds for Wagner wrestling, Knebel heads into the Class B state tournament second in the state with 27 technical falls, well past the 16 tech falls he recorded over his previous four years wrestling for the Red Raiders.
Knebel has put up strong numbers this season while also overcoming the effects of injuries stemming from football. An ankle injury caused him to miss three weeks of the football season, while a right wrist injury is still being dealt with throughout the wrestling season. He also sprained his right thumb.
While the injuries proved to be more bothersome towards the beginning of the season, Knebel has stayed mentally tough according to head coach David Kocer, while also providing a strong example of resilience to the rest of the team.
"Gannon started out just like how these guys are right now as seventh and eight graders," Kocer said. "If you keep working hard and stay disciplined, good things can happen and that's been showing for him, and our younger guys are starting to realize that too."
Having worked throughout the season on keeping his feet moving in matches, Knebel knows he can get a quick seven points in one move. Taking full advantage of the three-point takedown and the four-point nearfall scoring now in effect, Knebel has executed 75 takedowns on the season against only being taken down six times. He's also recorded 64 four-point nearfalls, which ranks second in the state.
His mentality of picking up as many points as possible comes from the notion that an opponent can do the same at a moment's notice, limiting the chance for a match to stall or for Knebel to catch a quick breath.
"Everybody's kind of in the match until the last whistle," Knebel said. "You definitely have to keep it in the back of your mind that if you're up six (points), there's still a big chance of you going down."
Through his first few seasons with the Red Raiders, Knebel often found himself on the short end of matches against more experienced wrestlers. Possessing the skill set to compete with them in pressure matches, it wasn't until he started to think that way where his real area of growth occurred.
"When he started wrestling in high school and getting a feel against those experienced guys, it went from saying, 'I was getting my butt kicked,' to saying, 'Wait a minute, I could beat these guys,'" Kocer said. "It was kind of a mental transformation for him and he really figured it out after that."
"It's tough to stay focused," Knebel added. "It's a mentally demanding sport, but you just have to focus on one match at a time, taking baby steps to get better and keep your eye on the prize."
As he chases a championship at 190 pounds after coming up one match short a year ago in the weight class, Knebel looks to his former teammate Jhett Breen's example of hard work eventually pays off, as it did when Breen won the 165-pound title last season.
"It's all about staying calm and collective and not letting yourself beat you mentally," Knebel said. "We got a great thing going on. There's definitely been some ups and downs this year, but it's good to focus on the ups and improve from there."
The Class B state wrestling tournament begins on Thursday, Feb. 27, at the Summit Arena in Rapid City.