By Joe Shinners Maybe it will be the power of positive thinking that finally lifts Derek Olson to the top of the heap. The Muskego senior wrestler can only hope so during his final wrestling campaign. Olson, the top senior wrestler in the area and one of the top ten wrestlers in the state overall, believes the work he did on his body and mind over the summer will lift him to his long-sought-after state individual wrestling title. So far this year, the results of the work have been promising. This year, Olson has compliled a 24-1 record at 152 pounds with his lone loss coming at the Cheesehead Invitational at Kaukauna in the first week of January. Olson lost to Apple Valley (Minn.) junior Destin McCauley (13-0) by an 8-4 decision in the semifinals at the Cheesehead. McCauley went on to defeat Brandon (Fla.) senior Joe Cozart (38-1) by a 6-5 decision in the marquee final at the nationally ranked tournament. McCauley is ranked No. 3 in the country at 152 by the Amateur Wrestling News. Cozart is ranked No. 5. Olson defeated two wrestlers to finish third. In the third-place match, Olson defeated Montini (Ill.) sophomore Brandon McBride (21-8) by a 5-1 decision. A year ago, Olson won the 152 title at the state’s most prestigious invitational tournament. Olson took the loss to McCauley in stride. “I’m feeling good right now,” said Olson. “I got to compete against some of the top-ranked wrestlers in the country and see how I stand. I found a way to keep pushing and go forward.” That positive thinking, gained after an off-season of reading books on the subject, and countless miles pounded out with a running program are what may elevate Olson to his first state title. He’s been on the verge of a title for two years after entering Muskego as what many felt was a sure-fire state champion. But he was been able to finish the task under the pressure. As a freshman, Olson finished fourth at 130 pounds in Division 1, losing in the third-place match to Sauk Prairie’s Matt Gaffney by a 7-1 decision. In the 130 finals as a sophomore, Olson again lost to Gaffney, this time by a 5-0 margin. A year ago, Olson lost a heart-breaking 7-5 overtime decision to Kaukauna’s Eric Vanevenhoven in the final 152 when Olson was the favorite to land Muskego its seventh overall individual champion and first since Riley Kreuzer accomplished the feat in by winning the D1 1 40 title in 2006. Olson ran his takedowns well and held and early lead only to give it all up in the end to Vanevenhoven last year. Olson’s career has been impressive. He has amassed an overall record of 161-12, posted 22 technical falls, registered 64 pins and posted 390 takedowns. He’s won two Southeast Conference titles, three regional titles and three sectional titles. Olson is a physical wrestler who can go takedowns, pin and force a tech fall when he dictates action and wrestles with a high motor. Still, he’s missing the title everyone has expected he would have by now. He’s been under that kind of pressure to win since he entered Muskego. “I use it as motivation,” Olson said of his past two championship losses. “I want to use it to elevate myself and make me a better wrestler. I’ve read the books on people who have failed and turned it around and went out and got it done. It was a huge part of my training this summer to read books about the importance of positive thinking.” He’ll need those positive thoughts this year. Olson is currently ranked No. 2 in the state among all three divisions at 152 by the Crossface Magazine. His main competition is Marshfield junior Brad Dolezal. Dolezal was a state champion at 140 two years ago and finished second last year at 140. Olson is taking the final batch of pressure he will receive as a Muskego wrestler in stride. “I love having pressure on me,” he said. “For me, my goal is to go out and dominate my opponent mentally and on the scoreboard. What ever it takes (to win this year), that’s my goal. “ Go Back to the Home Page Read More Articles by Joe../../../../07-08_Article_Archive/Archive.htmlshapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1