Life as champ is not easy

I was trying to figure out what is more annoying, an NFL wide-receiver that bumps his chest after a three-yard pass reception or the 30-second dance routine rookie John Wall does before NBA basketball games. Talk about a bunch of guys that get a sense of privilege when they haven't accomplished anything yet.

That's one trait you won't find in wrestlers. In fact, the

more you accomplish, the tougher things get.

While wrestling is a team sport in the aspects of scoring and you need a good bunch of kids supporting and pushing one another in order to be successful, it comes down to each individual that steps out onto the mat.

And when that individual reaches the mountain-top, a state championship, there are plenty of other individuals willing to knock them off their perch.

"You're such a huge target," Arlee wrestling coach Ken Hill said. "You might as well paint a big target on your back."

When you see these kids that are multiple-time state champions, that's really something to bump your chest about or come up with some sort of John Wall dance because they're getting everyone's best effort every time they step out onto the mat.

Arlee's Cole Rice won the state championship in the 140 weight class, and looked impressive, pinning all his opponents in matches over the weekend.

And you think his opponents went easy on the defending state champion?

Another state champ, Ronan's Toby Cheff had an impressive weekend as well in the 189 class, going undefeated with two pins and a 9-6 decision.

Chiefs wrestling head coach Dustyn Azure said that Cheff has gotten in better shape and has beefed up over the summer, meaning he should be even more of a force this year.

And he'll need it, because guys will be gunning for him.

The best way to explain what goes through the mind of these individual sport athletes is to make a terrible analogy to the movie Rocky III. In that movie, you see Rocky win 10 straight title defenses as Clubber Lang watches, studies and builds a desire to beat him. The eleventh title defense?

Rocky is pretty much blown up by Lang.

Why? Because Lang was hungrier than Rocky.

Sure it's just a movie, but it illustrates the difficulty of defending your title. Guys are going to be coming at you with their best shots.

Now, Rocky got his belt back because he rediscovered that fire that won him the championship, and we got to watch him and Apollo Creed awkwardly hug in a beach scene to the tune of "Eye of the Tiger."

There's a reason why Brock Picard's third state championship last year was just the second time that a Polson wrestler had accomplished the feat. It takes a special kind of person to become No. 1 in the state. It takes a competitor with unbelievable drive to continue to defend his title.

And lucky you, Lake County, you get to see a couple of those champs discover just how far they can push themselves this year.