Kendall County MVA Male Athlete of the Week: Isaac Bourge, Yorkville Christian, wrestling, sophomore

WHY HE WAS SELECTED:

Bourge took third place at 106 pounds at the Class 1A Oregon Sectional, and in the process became the first state qualifier in Yorkville Christian program history.

Bourge talked to sports editor Joshua Welge about the accomplishment, the season and more. Here is an edited version of the transcript:

Welge: What does being the first Yorkville Christian wrestler to make state mean to you?

Bourge: It means everything to me. Honestly, I thought I was going to have some teammates with me to go to state. I’m just really happy.

Welge: Before this past weekend, was there a win or tournament that you could point to as a significant achievement?

Bourge: For sure. It’s the tournament at Mahomet-Seymour that was one of my biggest tournaments. I wrestled one of the best in the tournament.

Welge: How do you gauge if you are wrestling well?

Bourge: I have my head together, do what I know how to do, do my moves sooner, and just stay confident and stay aggressive and wear the other person out before I get worn out.

Welge: Have you looked ahead at the state bracket and who you might face this weekend?

Bourge: I looked at the brackets. I recognize basically everyone in the brackets. I know I’ll have a tough bracket, but if I wrestle how I did at sectionals and at Mahomet, I feel I can get through it. But I know it will be tough.

Welge: How did you get started wrestling?

Bourge: I started when I was like 7 or 8. I had a friend who was wrestling, he was cool and I wanted to try it.

Welge: What did you like about it?

Bourge: When I was younger, I don’t know. I just kept winning and I liked to win. I liked meeting other people and it keeps me active.

Welge: Do you have other family members who wrestle?

Bourge: I have a cousin that used to wrestle, but I didn’t know it. My older brother does soccer, but I didn’t like soccer. I like wrestling a lot.

Welge: How will you prepare for this week?

Bourge: I’m keeping my cardio up, trying to eat right, go through the moves. I’m eating salads, chicken and vegetables and drinking plenty of water.

Welge: What are your motivations when you wrestle?

Bourge: I wrestle to prove myself to my coach. I want to make my coach proud and my parents proud.

Welge: Do you have a pre-match routine?

Bourge: Not really. I think if I think too much before a match, I get nervous. I don’t think about it too much.