PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB)– This week’s Scholar Athlete of the Week sponsored by Perry and Young P.A. is North Bay Haven’s Helmüt vonKnoblauch.
“He’s a great kid, a great leader in the room, he started off three years ago, he’s our most experienced wrestler,” said North Bay Haven head wrestling coach J.J. Gibbens
The senior is the school’s wrestling team captain this season, he placed second at districts in his weight class and will compete in the Class 1A Region 1 tournament next week.
“I like how the competition is almost strictly individual and there’s no one else’s fault for when you win or lose,” vonKnoblauch said.
The Buccaneer has played a key role in growing the school’s wrestling program over the last few years.
“He’s kind of laying this groundwork, he started on a team with 5 or 6 kids, and now we have 30,” Gibbens said.
Although he’s had to overcome several obstacles throughout his time on the team, it’s remarkable to see how much he has improved along with his team.
“It’s good for the future of the team, that our numbers are expanding because we’re a relatively new program but we’re doing pretty well in the districts this year,” vonKnoblauch said.
He has maintained a 4.11 GPA as a member of the Beta Club, National Honor Society and SAIL Club.
“He’s one of our highest GPA’s that we’ve had through the teams there and he’s really showing that you can be successful on the mat and in the classroom as well,” Gibbens said.
The Scholar Athlete plans to attend Gulf Coast State College and Florida State University Panama City to continue his education.
“I’m thinking for engineering, I’m not 100 percent sure, but I have an internship with The Department of Defense for engineering,” vonKnoblauch said.
Next up for vonKnoblauch is the region tournament next week.
