Jackson's Darnell keeps his eyes focused on the podium

Justin Darnell admits he's received some ribbing for his choice of sports.

He's an all-conference first-team soccer goalie and a state qualifier in wrestling.

"I always do get picked on as a wrestler who plays soccer," the Jackson senior said.

He tried football, but it wasn't for him. He started playing soccer first, then picked up wrestling in the second or third grade. When he tried football in eighth grade, he realized he enjoyed soccer more.

He's made the most out of his opportunities in both sports. He was named to the SEMO Soccer Conference first team and the Class 3 District 1 all-district first team this fall after helping the Indians finish the season 13-12.

He earned a trip to the state wrestling tournament last winter, and he's hoping to build on last year's roller-coaster wrestling season this year.

Darnell started last season on the varsity roster, but injured his leg during the Missouri Duals early in the season. When he was healthy enough to return, he ended up on the junior varsity roster.

"When I got hurt, I got stuck back on JV just to help me heal," he said. "I never thought I'd be back on varsity that season."

He went 16-0 on the JV level, but thought his season was over. That was until he was sitting in the stands at the Farmington Invitational and saw teammate DeMarcus Huddleston receive a flagrant misconduct penalty, which carries a one-tournament suspension. It meant Huddleston would miss the district meet and that Darnell's season wasn't over.

"I wanted to go to state, but when I hurt my knee, I realized it's probably not going to happen, I'm not going to get that chance," Darnell said. "When that chance came last year, it was a big moment."

Darnell, who will wrestle in the 215-pound division in this weekend's Tiger Classic, said he experienced a gamut of emotions when he wrestled well at the district meet to grab a berth to the state meet.

"I've got to get in better shape," he said of his thoughts. "I've got to get better. It was all kind of thrown at me at once."

Jackson coach Steve Wachter wasn't surprised to see Darnell succeed last year in his return to the varsity roster.

"Justin hung in there and he got better during the season," Wachter said. "But to be honest with you, we knew he had a lot of potential at the beginning of the season. It wasn't a surprise for us that he went to state."

The unlikely run to the state tournament is his fuel this season. He got a taste of the state meet and wants another chance in Columbia.

"About every day I wake up, I'm like, 'I don't want to go. I don't want to do this,'" he said. "But then I can picture myself up there on the podium at state. That's the only thing driving me, driving me toward the podium."

Wachter thinks Darnell has the potential to return to Columbia, but the senior must work even harder to improve on last year's showing.

"He's got to keep working hard out here and stay on top of things," Wachter said. "His expectations are a little higher than what they were last year. He wanted to go to state. This year, I think he'd like to place."

One of the biggest factors in Darnell's favor is that he has a tremendous practice partner in fellow senior Blake Peiffer.

"He and me are always going hard, always getting each other better," Darnell said of Peiffer. "We're both going for that same goal."

Peiffer finished fifth in the state in Class 4 at 215 pounds at the state meet last year. He said Darnell's determination separates him from other wrestlers.

"He doesn't give up," Peiffer said. "He just goes. He's smart on the mat. He can go. He's not going to put himself in too many mistakes to get beat. ... You can't ask for a better partner."

Peiffer said the biggest benefit of competing against another state qualifier in practice is that the intensity level rises. Both wrestlers know what it takes to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

"We can drill at a pace that's difficult to us," Peiffer said. "Each knows what the other likes to do. It just makes practice go smoother and easier than what it is for a rookie or underclassman."

An interesting point about Darnell's wrestling career is that he stepped away from the sport for a few years. After competing on AAU and USA Wrestling teams, he got burned out. From about fifth grade to eighth grade, he didn't wrestle. But he soon realized he missed the adulation of winning.

"You remember the adrenaline and all that you get when you win," he said. "The feeling of it is unexplainable. It's an amazing feeling that I wanted to get back."

Since returning to the sport, he's had no regrets. Even when he has to limit his portions of a home-cooked meal to make sure he makes weight or taking a beating from his practice partner, that adrenaline of a big win keeps him focused.

"A state championship is all I want," he said. "I'm drilling hard. I'm going hard all the time, trying to be the best to get that championship spot."