I first heard about Jacob Warner about a year ago. I went out on YouTube and was able to watch several matches and I was immediately impressed. It was easy to see that this is one tough and physical wrestler. I kept an eye on him throughout last summer when he won a Cadet National Title in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman in Fargo at 170 lbs. When that happens, then of course everyone will know about a wrestler, especially when they dominate like Warner did. At Fargo he outscored his six freestyle opponents by a match score of 55-4 and his six Greco opponents 65-4.
Warner, a junior, was a State-Runner Up as a freshman and has now won two State titles for Washington High School in Washington, IL, just outside of Peoria.
I was able to meet Jacob when he was in Iowa City in March. It did not take long for me to see that this is what you want in an Iowa Wrestler. I was able to catch up with Jacob this week for an interview.
Jacob, good to talk to you again. Let’s cut right to the chase. Can I get your height and weight?
Warner: I am 6’1” and weigh 200 lbs. I will be wrestling at 195 this weekend and I will go 182 at Fargo. I will have to wait until next fall to see where I will wrestle next season. I will not be surprised if I end up going up to 195.
Where will you be wrestling at this weekend?
Warner: Central Plains in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
What are your summer plans for wrestling?
Warner: On June 4th I will compete in the Fila Cadets and try to make a world team there. On June 6th I leave for Russia for two weeks of training. Those are my big plans.
How did a trip to Russia work out for you?
Warner: Coach (Bryan) Medlin, my High School coach is awesome. He wanted to go over there and he is taking me and couple of other wrestlers. He called and made the contacts and found us a place to train. It will be right before the Russian Nationals so they will be training pretty hard. I am very excited about it.
Will you be going to National Duals and Fargo?
I will be at Fargo but I may not be back in time for National Duals. I will have to wait and see.
What colleges are you looking at right now? Do you have a Top 5?
Warner: My top five would be Iowa, Illinois, Ohio State, NC State and Purdue. I am also looking at Minnesota. That would be my top schools right now.
Are you looking at any type of major for college yet?
Warner: I want to go into Business to be a Financial Advisor. Helping people invest in the stock market.
I heard you were at the Grapple on the Gridiron. What did you think of it?
Warner: I thought it was awesome. Nowhere else in the country can you get that many fans at a dual meet. I was impressed.
What do you think about the Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2017 so far with Spencer Lee and a host of very highly ranked tough wrestlers that are in your grade?
Warner: You gotta kind of look at it and say that they are producing a team right now. Spencer Lee will be a national champ. Jay and the others, they are getting a real good team. To be honest, to me being someone that is being recruited by them you have to look at it and say “Why wouldn’t I want to wrestle for them?” They’re going to be good and you want to be apart of that atmosphere with people that are going to be trying to win. They are going to be a force. It will be an awesome atmosphere to be around.
Any idea when you will be making your decision?
Warner: Not until the signing day in November.
How would you describe your style of wrestling
Always looking to score points. I am not a big fan of low scoring matches. I like to go out there and rack up as many points as I can. Those are the best matches when you can go out there and score and score and score. Having an attacking mindset.
What are your wrestling goals?
I want to be a World Champ this summer at Fila Worlds in Georgia is my immediate goal. Make the World Team and go over to Georgia and win a World Title and keep doing what I’m doing. Win the Ironman, win State. Go to college and win some National titles and then to win some Olympic and World titles too.
