Maresh decides to concentrate on football
The NDSU wrestling team might suffer from Mike Maresh’s recent decision, but the Bison football team may reap the benefits of it.
After spending the last year and a half pulling double duty by competing on both the football and wrestling squad’s, Maresh has decided devote his efforts to the gridiron.
“This was a big loss for us,” wrestling coach Bucky Maughan said. “I think Mike was the best heavyweight in the Western Wrestling Conference.”
Maughan said that after Maresh didn’t return early from Christmas break with the rest of the team, he called him and Maresh explained his decision.
“Having the season we had and how good it was, I wanted to come back and do the same thing,” Maresh said of the football team. “I decided that my focus needed to be more on football than wrestling so I could get a lot done through the winter with all the football players.”
Maresh, who will be a junior next season, started every game for the Bison at linebacker for the second straight season in 2006.
This year, he finished fourth on the team in tackles with 56 and was part of an outstanding linebacker trio with Joe Mays and Ramon Humber.
On the mat, Maresh was no slouch either.
He finished last season with a 7-4 record during the 2005-06 season, his first time wrestling in nearly two years.
Prior to this season, he was the ranked 20th nationally at the heavyweight division.
The hardest part may have been his issues with weight. Maresh said he usually plays football at 230 pounds but gained 15 more to be able to compete in wrestling.
“I didn’t really have to put that on,” said Maresh, who was a state champion wrestler at Champlin Park (Minn.) High School. ”I wanted to (add weight) a little bit for football and for wrestling because I was going to be wrestling guys that were 285 pounds.”
It wasn’t just adding weight that was a problem for Maresh, either.
During last wrestling season, he participated in the majority of football workouts as well.
Maresh said that most days he would have three workouts, plus a full load of schoolwork.
This year was going to be more hectic since he is getting married this summer and said it would be the only time he could get a job.
Maughan said that filling Maresh’s spot in the wrestling lineup will be difficult, but says that Justin LaGosh, who ordinarily wrestles at 197 pounds, will likely move up to heavyweight.
“I’ll miss the coaches, and the wrestlers, they were great,” Maresh said. “But right now I have to do the things I have to do.”