Kuster, Prenger show they were gritty in a tough sport

COLUMBIA – Make no mistake, wrestlers are some of the toughest athletes you will ever face.

Example A? Joe Kuster. The Jefferson City senior wrestled all season with a right cruciate ligament injury sustained in the fall.

Example B? Carter Prenger. The Helias senior only started training this season in January after breaking his leg in a motocross accident.

Despite the physical challenges, the pair managed to claim podium finishes in Saturday’s Class 3 Boys Wrestling State Championships at Mizzou Arena. Kuster was fourth at 150 pounds while Prenger was fourth at 126 pounds.

But as strong contenders, neither was satisfied with fourth place, despite everything they’ve been through this season.

“My feet never touched the mat until Jan. 1, so I only wrestled for a month and a half,” Prenger said, noting that his goal was to win a state title. “But that’s not an excuse, I came out to wrestle, I had the opportunity to wrestle and I just didn’t take it.”

It is the third time that Kuster has finished fourth.

“It’s not great,” he said. “But it is what it is.”

The two could have used their injuries as a reason not to wrestle this season.

“I thought about it before the season started,” said Kuster. “But then I talked myself into it.”

Prenger wasn’t sure if he would be physically able to return.

“I thought maybe I wouldn’t have a chance to wrestle, with surgery and rehab right after it happened,” he said. “But it turns out I was fine on January 1.”

Prenger is usually a slow starter and needs some practice time to get ready for the season.

“I don’t wrestle in the offseason, so I always come into the season a little iffy and have to dial things in,” he said.

Despite missing a full month of the season and two months of training, Prenger thrived and won the first tournament he entered.

“I knew I was ready to go after that,” Prenger said.

Kuster is scheduled for surgery on Thursday to repair his cruciate ligament. It will be his second ACL surgery after repairing the one in his left knee two summers ago. About five months later, he began his junior wrestling season.

“It’s not really ideal,” said Kuster.

The injury brought about a drastic change in how Kuster wrestled as a senior.

“It affected my speed and penetration,” he said. “I had no drive in my right leg. If I tried it would shift and almost be out of place.

“So I had to change my style.”

The wrestling world is a bit small, so a lot of people knew about Kuster’s injury. When they didn’t, the bulky braces he wore all season was a pretty good indication that things weren’t normal.

“All my opponents knew about it,” said Kuster. “Some of them aimed at it, some didn’t.”

Jefferson City coach Nathan Redcay said no one knew what Kuster had to go through to get into the season, let alone finish with a medal in the state.

“What a phenomenal season with everything he’s been through,” said Redcay. “He’s the toughest boy I’ve ever coached, I’m so proud of him for everything he’s achieved.

“With a fully torn cruciate ligament, people don’t realize how hard it was to get through an entire season. There is pain every day. The fact that it lasts all year round is crazy.”

Helias trainer Weston Keleher has a similar admiration for Prenger.

“Carter has really been the cornerstone of our program over the last several years,” Keleher said.

It was easy to see that Prenger holds a special place for Keleher.

“He has the attitude you want in a wrestler,” Keleher said with a smile.

Prenger has no plans to continue wrestling. Except maybe in the Helias wrestling room.

“You will see me,” he said.

Kuster plans to wrestle in college, he has yet to decide where. He will visit Central Oklahoma on Monday and then choose between there or Drury, where his two older brothers are wrestlers.

“One day I’m going to look back and think I was a pretty bad guy for getting through what I’ve been through the last two seasons,” Kuster said.

But that day wasn’t Saturday.

“Not so much right now,” he said.

Count me among those people who already think what Kuster and Prenger achieved this season means they were pretty bad guys.