Wrestling is the ultimate individual sport, because there's no one else to credit in victory, and there's no one but yourself to blame in defeat.

And nobody knows it better than Pleasant Grove's Keola Goodman.

"Wrestling is a tough sport, it takes a lot of discipline and self-motivation," Goodman said. "It's not a team sport, so it all depends on yourself. So if you work hard you'll get good results, and if you slack off you won't get good results. It just depends on you."

Based on his results, it doesn't look like Goodman's been doing much slacking off over the past four years. Utah County's top 112-pound wrestler has used his "work hard" philosophy to bring home a second- and third-place finish at the state meet to go along with championships at the Millard and Wasatch dual tournaments.

Goodman, who is 33-8 this year, uses a combination of quickness, strength and intelligence to dismantle his opponents.

"As a wrestler, he's phenomenal; he's quick and explosive, he's great on his feet, and he's competitive," said Pleasant Grove assistant coach Chris Burton. "I think he's the smartest wrestler we have. He's aggressive, but he knows how to use his strength."

Not only does Goodman use his strength to dominate his opponents, but he also uses it to calm the nerves of anxious teammates.

Prior to one of the team's biggest duals of the year against three-time 5A defending state champion Viewmont, Goodman started tackling his unsuspecting teammates to lighten the mood. As a senior leader, Goodman will do whatever it takes to help the team be successful.

"He sees a need and he fills that need. It may not seem like a big deal to an outsider, but it makes a big difference," Burton said. "He makes it fun, but still as much fun as he has, he's a hard worker and a great leader. He's the perfect example of finding the balance."

Another example of Goodman's healthy combination of humor and leadership can be explained by his adoption of the wrestling team's unofficial mascot: the Battlecreek Beavers. Before each tournament, wrestlers must weigh in to ensure a level playing field, and usually it's only after the weigh-in that they can eat.

Due to the fact that wrestlers must weigh in alphabetically according to their mascot, Viking wrestlers would have long waits before they could weigh in. Because of that, Goodman and others attempted an unsuccessful campaign to get the mascot changed to Battlecreek (after a nearby park) Beavers.

Although he has a quiet demeanor, Goodman's actions speak very loudly.

"He's someone a lot of the other wrestlers look up to," said star 215-pounder Nick Fullmer. "He's a natural leader."

Burton added, "He's the best example of leading by example and working hard that we have. He doesn't really say much, but he always does the right thing."

Despite the fact that Goodman's high school career will be coming to a close in the next few weeks, the best may be yet to come at the 5A state meet. All signs point to a rematch of last year's championship dual between Goodman and Viewmont's Nate Larsen.

Last year, Goodman was 5A's top-ranked wrestler in their weight class, but Larsen upset Goodman in a close match. This year, Goodman hopes to return the favor, as Larsen is now ranked No. 1 ahead of Goodman.

"Last year was a good year. I won most of my matches, did well at tournaments, and I ended up taking second at state," Goodman said. "This year I'm just working harder and keeping focused on what I want to achieve, which is first."

Goodman has also wrestled Larsen this year when the teams faced off in a dual. Once again, Larsen narrowly defeated Goodman after he got a throw with 30 seconds left in the match. Although Larsen has had the upper hand recently, don't expect Goodman to waver should the two face off again.

"He's one of the few kids on our team that isn't intimidated; he doesn't change his style or his mentality," Burton said. "He came off the mat knowing he'd wrestled well and what he had to work on for the next time he'd see him. Even though he lost that match, it wasn't disheartening at all; it'd be a great rematch."

Goodman added, "There's a good chance of meeting him. I'd hope to just wrestle tougher. I'll give it my best effort and leave it all on the mat."