PORT ANGELES — Matt Robbins’ move from competing at the 182-pound class as a junior to 195 pounds as a senior actually lifted a weight off the Port Angeles High School wrestler’s shoulders.
Wrestling at the higher class freed Robbins from tension and anxiety and helped him win a Class 2A state championship, that was earned in dominating fashion, a 4-0 decision over Sedro-Woolley’s Nate Vaughn.
Robbins’ standout season also garnered him the All-Peninsula MVP as determined by a poll of area coaches and the Peninsula Daily News sports staff.
Robbins had wrestled at 182 for much of his high school career, which had him running a four-month gauntlet each season of counting every calorie consumed and every ounce of water weight gained, just to stay within the desired weight range and eligible to compete.
This year, with a more-than-capable 182-pound wrestler, state qualifier Evan Gallacci, ready to fill his class for the Roughriders, Robbins was free to move up to a more natural weight at 195.
“I wanted to feel more relaxed, to feel less pressure about cutting [weight],” Robbins said.
“I was a lot faster at 182, but I’m a lot stronger at 195 and still have my speed.”
The pressure was instantly relieved, and ushered in his best and most enjoyable high school season.
“I’ve been a lot less stressful this year,” Robbins said before his state title victory.
“I’ve been more happy and excited to wrestle.
“I just kept a healthy diet. I didn’t have to starve myself in order to compete.”
Once the season started, victories soon piled up for Robbins, who finished the season 35-4.
He claimed his weight class to help Port Angeles to its fifth straight victory at its Battle for the Axe tournament, and then rolled through Olympic League competition during the regular season and again during the league’s sub-regional tournament.
Robbins also won the regional crown at Sedro-Woolley High School.
All those pins and all those wins, where does Robbins think they came from?
“I’ve worked on being able to do anything out of any situation,” Robbins said.
“I’ve always wanted to be able to be in any situation and have an understanding and an arsenal of moves to move forward.
“I’ve just really worked on that this year, and this year it has finally clicked and it just worked.”
Roughriders coach Erik Gonzalez also noticed a change.
“Matt really learned how to relax this season,” Gonzalez said.
“One of the things we work on quite a bit are relaxation and visualization techniques to reduce stress, and Matt really bought into both of these things this season.
“We really try to stress to our guys that we can’t worry about winning and losing. The only thing we care about just wrestling our best and improving, and we believe that [if] we do those things, we will be successful no matter what the score says.
“It obviously worked for Matt as he continued to improve all season on his way to a state title.”
Robbins peaked at the right moment, besting the seventh-, second- and third-ranked wrestlers in his class at state on his way to the crown.
And he enjoyed every second.
“Just being out there, I’ve loved it all,” Robbins said of his year on the mat.
“This has been my favorite season, my best-performing season. I haven’t thought about before or after the matches, just focused on what I did during the matches and just trying to finish and just be out there in the moment.”
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-452-2345, ext. 5250 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
