09/09/2026
Kyle’s Wrestling Journey: From the Mat to a Mission Beyond High School
My story started my freshman year of high school. I originally wanted to play football, but my mother didn’t want me to risk getting hurt. Ironically, I ended up choosing wrestling.
One day during a JROTC formation, I heard Peyton LaFountain talking to another notable Mosley wrestler, John Mengel, about joining the team. That conversation planted a seed in my head. I thought about it for a few weeks before finally deciding to show up to practice.
At the time, Coach Skipper was the head coach, and I quickly learned about Mosley’s history as a wrestling powerhouse. I walked into the wrestling room expecting it to be intense—and it was.
My early practice partners included Derrick Williams, his brother CJ, and Val Solorio. My friend Eli also joined, and from the beginning, we butted heads—sometimes literally. As a freshman, my expectations were pretty low. I was wrestling in double-elimination tournaments and constantly competing with guys like Derrick and Val, which meant I was getting my butt kicked quite a bit.
Then came the Panhandle Championships. I won my first match of the season against Wewahitchka, and something clicked. I started finding my footing, and more importantly, I realized I really enjoyed wrestling.
That summer, I joined the former Black Sheep Wrestling Club to get more experience and more reps. Our summer practices at Mosley had lighter attendance, so I wanted to keep developing. I had the opportunity to train with high-level wrestlers like Bear Siegal, and those experiences helped me grow.
Over time, though, I started thinking more about what I wanted to do after high school. I gradually stepped away from Black Sheep, and looking back, I realize I probably held myself back from reaching my full potential.
At the end of my sophomore year, I qualified for regionals after taking third place and defeating a wrestler from Columbia High School. Seeing the work I had put in finally pay off was an incredible feeling. I didn't advance past regionals, but for a while, I had a clear goal: make it to the state tournament and win.
Unfortunately, I allowed some of my own doubts to take over. My performance dropped, and I finished my junior season with an even record. I also started feeling burned out and realized I was slowly falling out of love with wrestling. Missing my 100th career win by just three matches and getting knocked out at districts was a tough way to end that chapter.
Going into my senior year, my focus shifted. I became determined to attend a service academy, specifically the United States Naval Academy. My interest in the military came from my time in JROTC. I didn't have a Navy background—my military family members were in the Air Force—but I became inspired to pursue a career in the Department of the Navy and eventually commission as an officer.
I knew Navy wrestling was a Division I program, and that gave me another reason to push myself academically and athletically. I took more challenging courses to improve my high school record, but ultimately, I started that race too late and didn't receive an appointment to the Naval Academy.
That was a major gut punch, but there was a silver lining.
I had always wanted to become a Florida Gator, so I applied to the NROTC program at the University of Florida. I was accepted into the program, although I wasn't accepted directly into UF. Fortunately, Santa Fe College has an agreement that allows me to pursue my education there while participating in the NROTC program.
I don't regret the path I'm on. If there's one thing I do regret, it's waiting so long to start wrestling.
Today, I still enjoy the path I'm taking, but I also want to give back to the sport and the program that gave me so much. I continue to stop by the Mosley wrestling room and help whenever I can. Sometimes that simply means being an extra practice partner for the lighter weights.
That's something I never really had when I was coming up. I usually had to deal with the dynamic duo of Val and Derrick, so now I can be that smaller practice partner and mentor for the next generation of Mosley wrestlers.
My wrestling career may not have gone exactly the way I imagined it would, but the sport taught me a lot about myself. And now, I have the opportunity to pass some of those lessons on to the wrestlers coming behind me.
