Every athlete strives to be the best in their sport but very few achieve this accomplishment. On Saturday March 12, senior John Jakobsen joined that prestigious group of athletes by winning the PIAA state wrestling championship at the 195 pound weight class.

Jakobsen became the only wrestler in Stroudsburg and Monroe County history to claim this title. ai???I worked for that my whole career. That was my goal ever since I was five years old. It was the only way to go out, with a state title,ai??? Jakobsen said.

Jakobsen entered the state tournament with a 35-1 record, going on to win four matches in three days with a 1-0 match score of the finals.

ai???Itai??i??s a major accomplishment for someone from our area to make it to the top of the podium in one of the hardest state wrestling tournaments,ai??? said senior Jake Jones.

Jakobsen not only made history this wrestling season, but also broke records along the way. He now holds the record for most career pins, most pins in a single season, most team points, and most career wins.

ai???Countless number of hours are put in, just day after day you go through a grind to get better. Some days you just want to quit but that feeling is wiped away with success,ai??? said Jakobsen.

He ended his career at Stroudsburg High School with a record of 146-23, only losing three times in the last two wrestling seasons, one of those losses coming in the state finals last year. He is projected to be ranked in the top ten in the nation and has committed to wrestle for Lehigh University in the coming years.

Jakobsen will next be competing in the ai???Dapper Danai??? at the University of Pittsburgh. This high caliber match pits the top seniors, at each weight, in Pennsylvania against the top seniors throughout America. Jakobsen will be taking on four-time Oregon state champ Samuel Colbray.

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