Jan. 7, 2004: The Salt Lake Tribune, Prep Wrestling: Hochstrasser Speaks Volumes on the Mat
by Peter Richins

A lot of wrestling fans believe Tooele wrestler Andrew Hochstrasser is naturally talented, but his father doesn't really agree with that term.

"He's worked pretty hard," Jim Hochstrasser said. "I think if you have a gift, but you don't build on it, then you won't get what you want out of it."

Andrew, a senior, has gotten almost everything a high school wrestler could want out of his sport. At the recent Reno Tournament of Champions, Hochstrasser broke the state record for career victories (141, set by Box Elder's Jeff Newby in 2002) on his way to a runner-up finish for the second straight year. Hochstrasser is 146-8 since his freshman year, and has won a state championship every year since the 8th grade.

The All-American is ranked second nationally at 130 pounds and has wrestled successfully in many national tournaments, including the Rocky Mountain Regionals, the Junior Nationals and the Greco-Roman Western Regionals.

Hochstrasser doesn't say much, but has no trouble acknowledging that he has worked hard at the sport. Hochstrasser often wakes up at 5:30 a.m. and runs 1 1/2 miles up the Tooele foothills to the "T" on the mountain.

"It's hard to run," Hochstrasser said. "Most of the time you end up stopping and walking a ways. Once or twice I've actually run the whole way, but I die, it feels like."

If he's not running, he's lifting weights.

"You have to lift all the time, and it's hard to keep going back to the room," Hochstrasser said. "Most people stop."

Then there's the experience that comes from wrestling on the mat. Hochstrasser said his regimen includes "wrestling everybody you can."

Hochstrasser said that during waking hours, he thinks about wrestling about 70 percent of the time. The sport consumes him so much, he said, because of his success.

"It's the winning," Hochstrasser said. "I did OK at other sports, but I never won with soccer or anything. But when I started wrestling, I started winning."

He doesn't thrive on the accolades that come with the victories.

"They are nice to have, when you do win, but I don't wrestle for the awards," Hochstrasser said. Instead, wrestling gives him a chance to focus on his individual performance.

"There's no excuses [when you lose]," Hochstrasser said. "When it comes down to it, it's just what you did that you can change."

Hochstrasser's attitude may be partially responsible for the belief that he has some natural ability.

"He's able to focus, and he's able to concentrate, and I think that's what makes him great," said Jim Cox, Hochstrasser's junior high coach. Cox said Hochstrasser has succeeded in difficult situations and large arenas, where distractions are everywhere.

"Where I would be uptight or something, he would be calm and focused," Cox said. "He can be in any arena and compete well."

Hochstrasser does not know whether he is naturally talented. He hears people say that about him, but tries not to be distracted by it.

"Everything just flows together for me [on the mat]," he said.

"I just think he listens well, and then he just goes out and does it," his father said.

Several colleges call the Hochstrasser home every week, and the family has a stack of recruiting letters three feet high. Jim said Cornell, Northwestern, Nebraska, Virginia and Boise State are the current front-runners, but it's too early to decide.

For now, Hochstrasser is focused on tonight's All-Star Classic at Utah Valley State College and on February's 3-A state tournament, where he plans on completing a four-year high school state championship sweep.

"It's not going to be easy," Hochstrasser said. But, "I've still got to do it."