NL_020620

34 | February 6, 2020 | the new lenox patriot sports
newlenoxpatriotdaily.com
Athlete of the Week
10 Questions
with Joey Malito
Joey Malito is a sophomore
wrestler for Lincoln-
Way Central.
How long have you
been wrestling and
how did you first get
started?
I’ve been wrestling since
I was 8, so about eight
years. My dad [Michael]
got me into it. He wrestled
when he was younger, but
he didn’t stay with it for
high school, so he wanted
me to do it.
What do you like so
much about the sport?
I like how much of a
team sport it is. It’s really
fun. It helps you stay in
shape physically and mentally.
I have made a lot of
new friends through wrestling.
It’s a smaller sport
than football or baseball,
so you end up meeting
more people and it’s more
close-knit.
You mentioned the
sport helping you
mentally. How is that?
You have to think more
about it than a lot of other
sports you play and there
can be more stress on you
because it’s just you out
there wrestling, so you
have to become mentally
strong to deal with that.
Last year, you were
competing on varsity
as a freshman and
were way under 106
pounds, wrestling
against bigger, older
kids. How tough was
that?
It was hard because I
was not heavy at all. I
was about eight pounds
under the weight class.
That made it tough, but I
knew I would learn from
the experience and that the
next year would be better.
I just had to keep competing,
keep trying hard, and
I knew I was going to get
better.
You are 30-11 heading
into the postseason.
What has been the
biggest key to your
success this season?
I think it was just getting
stronger and getting more
size. I can match up with
guys better now, and I’m
confident when I go out
there that I can compete.
How do you feel about
where you are going
into the postseason?
I feel good. I like where
I’m at, and I’m ready to go.
My goal is to come out of
regionals with a good spot
for sectionals, and then go
take my shot at making it
to state. Making it to state
is definitely the big goal.
3
Steve Millar/22nd Century
Media
If you could be
anybody else for a
day, who would you
want to be?
My grandfather [Andrew].
He’s passed away
now, but he was always
there for me and he helped
me so much. I’d just like to
be in his shoes for a day.
You’re stranded on a
deserted island and
can have an endless
supply of one food.
What do you want?
Some kind of pasta. Fettuccine
alfredo, probably. I
love pasta.
What is your favorite
TV show?
“Game of Thrones.”
I’m really into that kind
of show, like that kind of
fantasy show. I like the
old-time stuff and the Medieval
stories. I think that’s
really cool.
If you could travel
anywhere in the
world, where would
you want to go?
Germany or Italy. I love
the scenery in both of those
places and I think it would
be really cool to visit them.
Interview conducted by
Sports Editor Steve Millar.
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