Freshman Shane Burger has been a consistent wrestler since he started in second grade. He’s pushed himself to grow as a wrestler while helping others grow in wrestling too.
“I was wrestling around with my next door neighbor, and my mom said I should join wrestling, and I [got] signed up,” Burger said.
He notes the many memorable experiences he has enjoyed since he joined wrestling.
“It’s fun to mess with my siblings – they all wrestle too, and sometimes it’s just fun to put your opponent in certain moves,” Burger said.
Burger wrestled throughout middle school. During the 2024-25 wrestling season, eighth grader Stanley Fritz was on Haven’s middle school wrestling team with Burger.
Fritz shares how their team had won most of their meets. Fritz also commends Burger’s performance throughout the season.
“He was consistently winning. He only had one loss… So that helped the team,” Fritz said.
Fritz recalls how Burger would help the team by leading them through drills. That is not the only place Burger has helped people in wrestling, as he also helps and teaches his siblings.
Burger also got into the Middle Atlantic Wrestling Association (MAWA) nationals, having a good experience competing.
“You have to go to the qualifiers and come in top three in one of the qualifiers. Then, if you do that, then you can go to a regional one, and then you have to come in the top four, and then you can go to MAWA nationals,” Burger said.
That’s not all he has accomplished. At one point, Burger was a state champion wrestler in Delaware – however it was with a catch.
“There was only one other guy in my bracket, and I wrestled him in practice,” Burger said.
Burger has faced multiple challenges since he originally started wrestling. At one point, he tore his TFCC (triangular fibrocartilage complex) while wrestling. Astonishingly, he didn’t feel the tear and even went on to play another match.
“Also I took a break [during Covid], but… some people did wrestle during covid,” Burger said.
Burger looks ahead to wrestling in high school, but is unsure of what it might bring.
“I’ve gone to some high school practices before, but I haven’t been to many high school tournaments,” Burger said. “To go into a heavier weight class would be one of my goals. Also to have a good record.”
