MALE
Joey Gordon, Columbus East junior wrestler
Gordon won his opening-round match by forfeit, his semifinal by pin and the final by technical fall to capture the 132-pound title and help the Olympians defend their Hoosier Hills Conference championship.
His performance last week: “I think that I knew going in that if I just went out there and wrestled my best that I’d come home with a conference title."
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Do you do anything special to prepare? “I just go out there knowing that I’m going to wrestle my match and hopefully come out with a win.”
Favorite drink: “Raspberry iced tea”
Favorite food: “Pizza”
Favorite book: “The Harry Potter Series”
Favorite class: “Weight training”
Role model: “My father (Joseph Gordon)”
Best advice: “By (assistant) coach (Tony) McGinley, before every match, he tells me that I’m the best in the room, best in the weight class, and that I’m going to go out there and just destroy everyone.”
Athletics goal: "To place at state."
If you could travel anywhere: “New York, because I was born there, and I have a lot of family there.”
FEMALE
Kylee Matern, Jennings County senior basketball player
Matern led the Panthers with a career-high 24 points in Saturday’s 68-44 win against Trinity Lutheran. She also scored 14 points in a 69-66 win at Columbus East and nine points in a 67-54 win at Brown County.
Her performance last week: “I felt like we played as a team, and we were getting the ball to each other, so I think that’s what really helped.”
Do you do anything special to prepare? “I come early to shoot around and try to get focused for the game.”
Favorite drink: “Big Red”
Favorite food: “Potatoes”
Favorite book: “A Season on the Brink”
Favorite class: “Chemistry or Biology”
Role model: “My brother (Dylan Matern)”
Best advice: “To always work hard no matter the situation.”
Athletics goal: “I want to win the sectional.”
If you could travel anywhere: “Hawaii, because I’ve always wanted to go there.”
