Progress, not perfection, has defined Andrew Esterline’s mindset throughout the season for the Joplin High School wrestling team. “My goals this year are to make it to state, but most importantly, make sure that I’m getting better every day little by little,” Esterline said.

That focus has helped steady the Eagles through adversity. “Although some of our team members have suffered season-ending injuries, the morale is still amazing and everyone’s finding ways to focus on the road ahead,” he said. According to Esterline, resilience has become a defining characteristic of the group. “Our ability to adapt and move forward through losses and wins” stands out as the biggest improvement he has seen from the team this year.

Team goals vary, but the approach remains consistent. “Most want to compete in state or become a better wrestler,” Esterline said. “So, we put our time in the wrestling room, by showing up to practice, giving 100% at everything we do, even the little things.” That commitment shows itself daily. “I believe it is showing up to practice locked in and ready to go the moment we walk through the doors, to the moment we walk out,” he said of the team’s biggest strength.

Esterline competes in the varsity 285-pound weight class, a role that demands both power and discipline. When studying opponents, his attention stays on balance and positioning. “I try to see if he oversteps, where they step, where his weight is going to be,” Esterline said.

Physical preparation is deliberate before matches. “I focus on getting my heart rate up before I get on the mat by either jumping in place, stretches, or sometimes even pushups,” he said. Once competition begins, his mindset is simple and demanding. “Do it when it’s tough, do it when you’re tired, but do it,” Esterline said.

Looking ahead, the legacy he hopes to leave centers on his teammates. “That I was an amazing teammate, and I gave everything I had to help the team succeed,” he said. Dedication, he believes, is often overlooked from the outside. “How truly dedicated we are to succeeding,” Esterline said.

Music helps him lock in before matches. “My go-to hype song is ‘Crazy Train’ by Ozzy Osbourne,” he said. His favorite memory came in dramatic fashion. “During the last 10 seconds of the third period with a tied score about to go into overtime,” Esterline said, “I had taken an outside single on the right leg and scored 3 points and kept it from going into overtime.”

Esterline is a junior at Joplin High School. “The sports I play are wrestling and football, and my plans after high school are to go and pursue my HVAC career at Crowder College.”