Even before becoming the king of his own state, Mike Poeta had success on the national level.
Once a skinny 103-pounder at anonymous Highland Park High, located on Chicago’s North Shore, Poeta grew into his first big success on the national stage at Fargo, N.D., winning two Cadet freestyle titles as a freshman and sophomore.
And those titles weren’t over just anybody. Poeta beat three-time Arizona state champion and Arizona State-bound Angel Cejudo of Phoenix Maryvale High as a freshman and toppled two-time Michigan champion Brent Metcalf of Davison High as a sophomore, denying both wrestlers opportunities to win double titles.
In his most recent trip to Fargo, Poeta gave Junior Greco-Roman O.W. C.P. Schlatter of St. Paris (Ohio) Graham High his toughest match of the week before falling, 5-4, in the Junior freestyle final at 152. His picture-perfect three-point double-leg takedown just before the first-period buzzer constituted the only back points scored against Schlatter all week.
That was quite an accomplishment for a young man who lost in the first round of the Illinois state tournament both his freshman and sophomore years. Did we mention just how tough that tournament is? Or did we mention that Poeta came back with five straight victories to capture third place on both occasions?
Last year, with two-time University of Illinois All-American Griff Powell and Tony Siebert — brother of NCAA champion Eric and a five-year member of the Fighting Illini squad himself — as his coaches at Highland Park, Poeta finally struck gold.
After losing to fellow junior Matt Collum of Naperville Neuqua Valley High, 9-7, in the semifinals of the Barrington Tournament over the Thanksgiving holidays, Poeta went on to win the final 40 matches of the season, avenging that loss with a 7-4 decision over Collum in the Class AA state semifinals that had everybody in the University of Illinois’ Assembly Hall watching closely.
Poeta, who is expected to compete at 152 this season, will sign with Illinois during the early signing period this month. He chose the Fighting Illini over Northwestern and Oklahoma.
Recently, we caught up with Poeta for this candid conversation.
WIN: What has it been like, having Powell and Siebert walk into the room last year and be able to work with you all season?
Poeta: It was an awesome situation for me. They put me through these incredible, awesome practices. It was almost like I had a full college year, wrestling with those two guys.
WIN: What did you learn from them?
Poeta: I was a good wrestler before they came in, and they pretty much just beat on me. They worked on things like confidence, being a smart wrestler, and mostly just taught me how to move and how to use my skills better.
WIN: I remember one of the coaches telling me last year that you might be a better wrestler technically than (Michigan recruit) Eric Tannenbaum, which was kind of high praise considering (Tannenbaum’s) ability. Did they kind of pump you up, reminding you how good you were and how good you could be?
Poeta: You know what they would always tell me? “There’s no wrestler in this country who can beat you.” And whether they believed that or not, they just made me believe that. And that just took my confidence to another level.
WIN: When you were a 103-pounder as a freshman, did you have any idea you’d grow into maybe the top middleweight high-school senior in the country a couple of short years later?
Poeta: Honestly, I never thought I could get to where I am. I just worked real hard and that’s what’s gotten me there.
WIN: What made you decide to commit to Illinois?
Poeta: I just thought that was the best place for me, academically and for wrestling. It was the toughest decision of my life.
WIN: What effect will having the decision (to sign early) have on your senior year?
Poeta: I’m relieved. It’s definitely taken a burden off my shoulder.
WIN: You won the (Illinois) state tournament for the first time last year. I’ve always told people that even though states like Pennsylvania, Ohio and California are tough, I’ve always felt that the Class AA state tournament in Illinois is tougher to win than any other state in the country. You’ve had three shots at it now. What do you think?
Poeta: Absolutely. My biggest problem my freshman and sophomore year was that I was cutting too much weight, plain and simple. I didn’t cut any weight last year. I was weighing 140 (pounds) normally. I felt good all year and that definitely helped me win the state title.
WIN: How much weight did you cut?
Poeta: My sophomore year, I was cutting from 130 to make 119. It wasn’t that bad, but it just took such a psychological toll on me. Last year, not cutting any weight, the season was fun. I was learning. I wasn’t always worrying about my weight, I was concentrating on my wrestling.
WIN: You lost that match to Matt Collum at the beginning of the season, and that was really a season-defining match. How did that redirect the rest of your season?
Poeta: Honestly, I’m glad I lost to him. Because that just motivated me all year. Maybe, let’s say I beat him, I don’t think I would have worked as hard. I would have worked hard, but the fact that he beat me, that just influenced my wrestling and my hard work throughout the whole year.
WIN: What went through your mind when you saw the (140-pound) state bracket on Sunday and saw you’d meet (Collum) in the semifinals? Was it tough to stay focused on your earlier matches?
Poeta: It wasn’t a problem for me. I was looking ahead my freshman and sophomore years. This year I really instilled it in my brain to take one match at a time.
WIN: I often see you wearing an Italia hat or sweat shirt at tournaments. You must really identify with your Italian heritage.
Poeta: (Laughs) Yeah, my dad (Dominic) was actually born there. I go every summer and I’ve got a lot of family there. He came to this country when he was five-years old, with his older brothers and older sisters. His dad came over here first and made enough money to get them over here, and they all settled in Chicago.
WIN: Is there Italian spoken in your house?
Poeta: Yeah. My dad’s fluent.
WIN: How much do you know?




• The rest of this story appears in the Annual College Preview issue of Wrestling International Newsmagazine. To subscribe to Wrestling International Magazine, call 1-888-305-0606 or by e-mail at info@win-magazine.com. W.I.N. publishes 12 times per year for an annual second class mailing rate of $29.95. The first-class subscription rate is $47.95.