How this Valley Center wrestler went from off the podium to ranked No. 1 in Kansas
Valley Center senior Alyeus Craig did not take a typical path to becoming the No. 1-ranked 126-pound wrestler in Kansas.
He was not a blue-chip prospect. He never a kids state regular. In fact, just two years ago, Craig sat dejected at the Valley Center wrestling team’s end-of-season party after failing to place at the state tournament for the second time in his high school career.
“I was really mad because I knew I could do better than this,” Craig said. “I remember sitting in the same exact same place after freshman year and then it happened again. I finally just said, ‘Something needs to change.’”
With that bitter disappointment stored as motivation, Craig went to work to transform himself. He started lifting more frequently and running more. He started taking ice baths after practice and monitoring what he ate.
All of those small details have added up in a big way for Craig, who is 27-0 this season, the title favorite in Class 5A, and the most dominant 126-pound wrestler in Kansas — backed up by an all-class No. 1 ranking at 126 from the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association.
“It’s not always what you do in the wrestling room,” Valley Center coach Justin Schwartz said. “Alyeus has changed his entire approach. He eats healthy. He works out on his own. He’s always looking for opportunities to wrestle the best of the best. When it comes down to it, it’s up to the wrestler to put in the time to get better and that’s what he’s done.”
While Craig put in the time and maintenance to become an elite wrestler, his take-off also correlated with the arrival of Schartz, who took over the Valley Center wrestling program last season. After failing to place at the state meet two years in a row, Craig reached the 5A 126-pound championship match last spring.
The coach helped Craig take his game to another level, showing him different approaches to shots. Under Schartz’s tutelage, Craig has been able to consistently create new angles to score points and he is on pace — he’s 15 takedowns away — to shatter the program record for takedowns in a season.
“I’m just very confident in myself and the work that I’ve put in,” Craig said. “I don’t know how many matches I wrestled this summer. I don’t know how many hours I’ve put in. I’ve seen just about everything. I’ve been in about every position. That helps me stay calm during matches. I think all of that time I’ve put in is really paying off.”
Craig has been dominant this season, leaving little doubt who the state’s best 126-pound wrestler is. Nine of his 27 victories have come against state-ranked competition, including two wins over Andale’s Hector Serratos, a two-time state champion, most recently in the finals of Newton’s Tournament of Champions.
Most of those victories over state-ranked competition have been by pinfall or technical fall. And when he wasn’t satisfied with the competition at 126 in a Dodge City tournament, Craig moved up to 132 and beat the state’s No. 2-ranked wrestler in their own weight class.
Schartz said Craig’s senior season has been special to watch unfold.
“He’s always looking for an opportunity to get better,” Schartz said. “When it comes down to it, what makes him special is just his effort. He’s got a motor that is non-stop and that’s in practice even. He’s always moving and pushing the other kid. Anybody who faces him has a hard time keeping up with him because his motor is just always going.”
After never standing on the top of the podium for much of his wrestling career, Craig admits the feeling of a come-up is like none other.
“A lot of the kids who won kids state are the ones that I’m beating now,” Craig said. “I just think, ‘I bet that was fun winning kids state.’”
But that’s not to say Craig, who recently signed to wrestle in college for Newman University, feels satisfied with where he is at.
Not even a state championship will quench that thirst.
“I don’t really feel like I’ve done too much yet,” Craig said. “I’m still really hungry. I’m still going to get after it every day. Even if I win state, the next day I’m going to get after it in the gym. It doesn’t change anything.”
This story was originally published January 26, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
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