By Rick Hinton
“I’ve always practiced hard, always show up for practice and try to get as much time in as I can with the coaches to try and get better,” stated Center Grove High School scholastic wrestler Sam Howe, when asked about his competitive nature.
“Earlier he played both baseball and football,” added his father Joe Howe. Sam participated in baseball until the sixth grade and held the position of linebacker on the football team all the way up through middle school. Playing sports has been a large part of his school experience, with wrestling now taking center stage.
“I started wrestling in the fifth grade, but really got going in the sixth grade when I joined the middle school wrestling team and got in a full season,” Howe said. There was a big difference, for him, between the middle school and high school teams. “High school wrestling is definitely tougher in terms of practice intensity and a bit more technical.”
“This is my second year as the head wrestling coach at Center Grove,” said boys wresting coach Maurice Swain. “Sam has come a long way since I first met him. He has a great attitude and each day gives maximum effort, coming to practice and competition ready to compete! Last year Sam finished as the sectional runner-up. He came into the tournament as an unseeded wrestler.” Sam also has fond memories of the experience. “Wrestling in the 2019 Sectional,” he remembered, “I had wrestled JV (junior varsity) for half the year and came in at varsity at the sectional. I won two big matches and made it into the finals!”
Coach Swain said Sam’s best move is a single leg takedown. He has plenty of opportunities to put it to use. The school season starts practicing in November and the meets are December through February. Tournaments outside of the school go until about May. Practices are held throughout the year. The Center Grove Wrestling Club is the organization they wrestle with outside of the school season. “Last spring, we went to Warren Central, Perry and Brownsburg to wrestle with their clubs. You get a feel of different wrestlers and more experience to improve,” Sam said.
THE HOWE FILE
NAME: Sam Howe
SPORT: Wrestling
YEAR: Junior
HEIGHT: 5 feet 10 inches
AGE: 17
HOBBIES/INTERESTS: “My faith. I teach religious ed classes to fifth-graders at my church. I started playing golf. In the summer I build and fly RC aircraft with my grandfather.”
FAVORITE MOVIE: Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
FAVORITE TV SHOW: The Office
COLLEGE PLANS: Purdue – for Aerospace Engineering – is the biggest focus, with Michigan as a runner-up. No plan for playing sports.
PARENTS: Joe and Laura Howe
