Hunter Bogner, Dumas Wrestling, Sr.
On the mat: Bogner made history at the state wrestling meet in Cypress last weekend and it wasn’t just because he won the Class 5A 138-pound title by beating Azle’s Chase Yancey 12-6 in the championship match, one of six area boys wrestlers to do so. By winning the title, Bogner became the first 5A boys wrestler in Texas history to win four straight championships. Bogner has won a title every year since entering high school as a freshman, and he’s won all four by moving up in weight each year, starting at 113 pounds as a freshman, then winning at 126, 132 and concluding his career by winning at 138 this year.
What makes Bogner’s accomplishments all the more impressive is that he’s had to deal with painful injuries every year, including a broken foot and a dislocated kneecap among others, but they haven’t ever kept him from becoming a state champion. Bogner finished his senior season with a near-perfect 41-1 mark and will wrestle in college at Western Colorado starting next year.
Coach Chris Holzworth: “That was the expectation coming in. He hasn’t had a season where there wasn’t some sort of an injury. One of the years he won it he had broken his foot, there was another one where he tweaked his knee and his kneecap came out of place. This season was the same thing in August when his kneecap popped out again. That was where he had his loss. Just being able to battle through adversity throughout the course of his career and win has been amazing. He’s tough, if I could describe him in one word. He wrestles through injuries and pain. We expected with the jump from 132 to 138 some of the same kids so it would be similar to what it was the year before. I don’t know if it was as much an injury this year as it was a setback.”
Bogner: “It’s kind of been my goal since my eighth-grade summer. I knew I was serious about the sport and I decided I was going to be a four-timer and it was going to be really disappointing if I couldn’t get it this past weekend. My goals kind of changed between my junior and senior year. I visited a bunch of colleges and ended up signing just before the year got started. Dealing with injuries is all mindset. You limit yourself based on how much you think about it. The weight deal doesn’t hurt you too much with the work you put in moving from level to level. The bigger you get the tougher the competition is I think. It feels really good to achieve that goal I set for myself but in the long run I see it more as a step on my staircase to the next level.”
About Bogner
Favorite band or musician: Imagine Dragons
Favorite social media platform: Instagram
Favorite athlete: Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State wrestler
Bet you didn’t know: Is very frugal with money.
Parents: Chris and Rachel Bogner.