Smith-Cotton senior Blake Pomajzl, a three-time state qualifier, has signed a National Letter of Intent to wrestle at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa.

Sedalia School District 200
Sedalia School District 200
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A four-time letterman and four-time All-West Central Conference selection, Pomajzl (28-2 this season, 152-25 career to date) is currently ranked No. 3 in the state in the 152-pound weight class. In 2017, he was a champion at the Flo Adidas Nationals and Midwest Nationals meets, as well as taking third at the Conflict at Carver Nationals and fifth at the Corn Cob Nationals. He helped lead Smith-Cotton to two West Central Conference titles the past four years and was named both the W-K and State Farm Athlete of the Week.

Sedalia School District 200
Sedalia School District 200
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Pomajzl has wrestled for Team Missouri United since age 7; the team was runner up in the Central Missouri Duals in 2015 and 2016, and champion in 2017. The son of Mike and Deana Pomajzl, Blake also is an eight-time Missouri USA state medalist.

He is a member of the National Honor Society, a member of the Leadership Sedalia Class of 2017-18, recipient of the Outstanding Service Award and founder and co-president of SPIZ, the Smith-Cotton Student Fan Section Club.

Smith-Cotton wrestling head coach Eric McNeal said: “Blake is a wrestler who does things right. He doesn't just compete - he seeks out competition. He trains and works extra outside of practice. He never loses sight of his academic priorities. That he will continue his competitive career at the next level is no surprise. If he applies the same blueprint at Northwest as he has in high school, he will continue that success. I look forward to watching his career at the next level.”

Northwestern Wrestling head coach Rik Dahl said Pomajzl looked good on paper but really impressed him and his staff when they saw Pomajzl in person.

“When we saw him in preseason nationals, actually saw him compete, we saw a huge heart, we saw a kid who never quit and was always in matches and wasn’t afraid to do the hard things,” Dahl said. “I was most impressed with how he handled defeat. He got beat a couple of times up there and how he was able to frame that – it was a learning experience. He didn’t let it break him.”

Sedalia School District 200
Sedalia School District 200
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Pomajzl is looking forward to working in the classroom as well as on the mat.

“Attending college and wrestling in college would be another step in achieving my overall goal,” he said. “My goal is to become an athletic trainer and be able to help athletes recover from injury. I have been around athletics my entire life and wish to keep it that way by earning a degree and pursuing a career in which I can help athletes.”

Dahl praised Pomajzl’s for his positive personal attributes.

“He just appeared to have a lot of integrity when he came to visit us on campus,” Dahl said. “We liked his character, his demeanor, his focus on academics. Those are things we are looking for in a young man.”

GROUP: Smith-Cotton senior Blake Pomajzl has signed a National Letter of Intent to wrestle at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. Seated with him are his parents, Mike and Deana Pomajzl; back row, from left, Smith-Cotton Athletic Director Rob Davis, Northwestern wrestling assistant coach Tyree Cox, sister Michaela Pomajzl, Northwestern wrestling head coach Rik Dahl and S-C Principal Wade Norton.

SOLO: Blake Pomajzl, who has a 28-2 record this season wrestling at 152 pounds, signs to compete for Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa.

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