GRANITE CITY – Michael Boyd has found significant success on the mat for Granite City High School’s wrestling team.
For that, Boyd has been named the January Athlete of the Month at Granite City High School.
Boyd, a senior who wrestles for head coach John Venne, is currently 22-6 on the season, with all of his wins coming by pinfall. Boyd enjoys the hard work of the sport and the benefits that come with it.
“I would like to think that the constant grind to outwork my little brother, who is a freshman at Granite City High School,” Boyd said, “and that wrestling season never really stopped since I joined my freshman year. It has always been a constant grind that keeps going and going, and never stops.”
The grind has paid off handsomely for Boyd. He recently won a tournament at Springfield, scoring all pins in taking his weight class. He’s also finished third in his class two years in a row at the Adidas Nationals tournament.
Boyd thanked all of his coaches for their support and pushing him to be the best wrestler possible.
“I would like to thank my coaches, coach Venne, coach E.J. Brooks, coach (Jake) Janek, coach (Justin) Valencia, coach Warfield and all my off-season coaches for always pushing me to be the best I can,” Boyd said, “and driving me to be a better person, on and off the mat. I would also like to thank my dad for always being at all of my wrestling events, no matter the distance, and for always driving me to all of my off-season tournaments.”
Boyd has been wrestling for the Warriors for three years and feels the sport has helped him in many ways.
“I love the sport of wrestling because it’s all on you,” Boyd said, “as in if you want a win, you have want it and want to put the work in for it. You can’t blame anyone but yourself, and I love that because when I lose, I get so upset, and it makes me want to work ten times harder to become better than what I was before.”
Boyd has also played for the Warriors’ soccer team as a forward who can play anywhere on the pitch, and also enjoys fishing and four-wheeling. He hopes to wrestle in college, and has looked at many options, including McKendree University in Lebanon and SIU-Edwardsville, but would like to stay within two hours of Granite City. He hasn’t yet decided on a major but is considering becoming a teacher of some kind. He also enjoys playing spike ball with his friend and classmate Braden Dipple.
“We are nearly unstoppable,” Boyd said.
Riverbender.com’s Athlete of the Month program is made possible by the generosity of our sponsors and the cooperation of our area high schools. This is a great accomplishment, and one to be very proud of. Please join us in congratulating this young athlete. We at Riverbender.com wish you continued success in your future!
