Palmetto Ridge freshman wrestler wins two golds at Pan-American tournament

Palmetto Ridge freshman wrestler Brennan Van Hoecke has dreams of becoming a four-time state wrestling champion.

And why not?

He’s already a two-time Pan-American champ.

Van Hoecke dominated the competition in both the freestyle and Greco Roman divisions at the recent Pan-American U15 wrestling championships in Mexico City. The 14-year-old won every match by tech fall or pin in cruising to the 44-kilogram (97-pound) freestyle and 48-kilogram (106-pound) Greco-Roman titles.

“It was really exciting for me,” Van Hoecke said. “I qualified last year but I couldn’t go because I grew too much and couldn’t compete in my weight class anymore. I trained really hard because it means a lot to represent the USA. I was excited to represent my country and my family. To go there and win two golds and help our team win two golds, it’s hard to describe that feeling.”

Van Hoecke said competing on the international stage was a bit different than wrestling in the United States, saying the gym was a lot more open and not as crowded as U.S. events.

“The crowd wasn’t quite as big as what I’m used to, but there were still a lot of people cheering,” he said. “There’s a lot of pressure to do well and bring home a gold for your country.”

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He said his first match last Thursday in the Greco Roman discipline was the hardest, mainly because he had to shake the early jitters. He eventually won easily, and continued to do so throughout Thursday’s Greco Roman tournament and Saturday’s freestyle round.

“After I got that first one out of the way, it was a relief and I was able to relax and beat everyone else,” he said.

Van Hoecke is now turning his attention to his first high school wrestling season, where he will be part of a talented Palmetto Ridge squad. Returning this season are state champion Colby Singletary and state runner-up Cullen Guerrero, among many other skilled wrestlers. The addition of Van Hoecke is just another weapon coach Blaine Ison can add to the Bears’ arsenal.

“His work ethic is already off the charts,” Ison said. “The kid is non-stop, always training to get to that next level. You don’t see that in an incoming freshman that often. He has that mindset of training year-round. He comes from freshman football practice in the day to our workouts at night, and lifts weights several times a week in addition to his school work. The kid is dedicated.”

Ison says Van Hoecke will benefit from competing in the same room as guys like Singletary and Guerrero, but he’ll also push the veterans as much as they push him.

“It works both ways,” Ison said. “He’ll be in a room with state champions and state placers on our team that will help guide him, but he’s also going to be a kid that comes in right away and will already be one of the best kids in the room. We say iron sharpens iron, and we expect that to happen here. All these guys pushing each other to get better, and we’re hoping that gets us where we want to go – which is eventually winning a state championship as a team.”