MARYSVILLE — Marysville-Pilchuck senior and wrestler Drew Hatch wants to win state this year.

He was a few matches away last year, losing in the quarterfinals in the 170-pound weight class where he placed third.

Now wrestling at 182 pounds, Hatch feels like this is his year.

“I’m looking to have fun this year and lead my team to success,” he said. “To keep winning is my goal.”

Though he got a late start due to the football team’s success, Hatch has done well for himself on the mat, winning all eight of his matches by pin so far.

“He’s a very athletic and an aggressive wrestler,” coach Craig Iversen said. “He’s always looking for a pin, and it’s what made him play football at a high level.”

Hatch was all-league linebacker for the Tomahawks.

And the transition from the football pads to a wrestling singlet has been a little rough but has smoothed out.

“It was kind of difficult,” he said. “My body was beat up for a bit, but I got a week break, and I’m back in my groove.”

Though physically gifted, Hatch is also cunning and observant when it comes to securing pins.

“I just look at leverage and positioning,” Hatch said. “If I see someone out of position, I will try to exploit that weakness and get them on their back.”

Hatch’s strength and knowledge of wrestling comes from participating in it since he was 3.

His earliest memory was of him getting slammed on his back having the wind knocked out of him — but it hasn’t happened since, he said.

“I’ve had fourteen years of practice,” Hatch said. “I’ve been in the game for quite awhile. I have a feel for it.”

Aside the strenuous physical nature of wrestling, Hatch also enjoys the communal dimension of the sport.

“I love the family aspect of it,” he said. “When you see a wrestler, whether they are out of state or from a different school, they know what you been through.”

It has also taught him work ethic.

“Not all things come easy,” he said. “So wrestling gives me the motivation to overwork things.”

After high school, Hatch intends to enroll at a four year university. He slightly favors football as the sport he wants to play at college, but is also open to wrestling if the opportunity presents itself.

Hatch intends to study business and marketing but has not committed to a school a yet. He has received invitations from Central College in Iowa, Simon Frasier University in Canada and the University of Wyoming.