One on One: with Trent Hidlay

By rscaife
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Updated: March 21, 2017

Editors note: Mifflin County PIAA State Champion Trent Hidlay was interviewed by Hometown Sports editor Kenny Varner right after being honored for competing at the PIAA wrestling championships held at the Giant Center in Hershey, where he finished the top in the state.

KV: Two years ago, I interviewed you and your brother Hayden and you said as a freshman your goal was to win the state championship. You did just that. Tell me about your year and how it’s been from the beginning up to the time you were standing atop the podium.

TH: Its been great! I think a lot of the success came from hard work and the mental toughness that me and my brother that the coach bestowed on me. It’s awesome to finally get that goal. The Giant Center is a real tough place to compete at and I was a little nervous going into it but I know soon as I get on the mat that I was going to take it. I thought really good and I got the best coaches in the world. They train with me and they make me better. It was a great year. I thought in the middle of the year I wasn’t wrestling the best that I knew how to. I knew I had to turn it on at the end of the year and I just want to be as dominant as I could. I think that I wasn’t taken down all year and wanted to be as dominant as I could be and get the job done.

KV: In the championship match when you got that first take down did you start to feel it it was your match? You can see the confidence in you and that you knew that you had it. You can see it in your eyes that you were confident about your chances.

TH: Yes after getting that first take down it kind of settle you down a little bit. Even before the match I knew I was going to win. I could see the kid and I can see that he was nervous. It was my match to go out and take and I knew I was going to win it. It definitely helped going out there and getting some points early on.

KV: Not much turnaround time you’re probably already back conditioning and lifting weights is that correct?

TH: Yes, most definitely it’s a whole year round thing if you want to be the best and stay elite. I have to stay on top now and now I’ve got to work even harder than before. I’ve been working. I’m really excited for the challenges that I’m given and all the opportunities that I’ve opened up for me throughout these national tournaments and stuff so I just want to get through all these competitions, keep working hard with Coach Bedelyon and Coach Martin and Coach Searer as well as the club coaches and stuff and get one percent better and get better each day.

KV: What advice would you give the kids starting out in the elementary wrestling programs?

TH: You have to fall in love with the sport. It’s really hard and I will test your mental toughness but you got a fall in love with the sport. You have to have fun with it. This sport sucks if you’re not having fun and loving it. You got to find a passionate deep down inside, you got to stick with it and love it and live the right life style. That’s all you have to do.