FORT WAYNE – Mason Meling wants a do-over for the start of his high school career. The Snider senior has shown what kind of ability he has on the wrestling mat, which has made the last couple of years kind of disappointing.

At 126 pounds, Meling is 40-0 and the top seed in Saturday’s Snider Semistate at Memorial Coliseum. This after going 30-10 last year, finishing third at regional and qualifying for the semistate but not getting to the state finals.

“I honestly was not expecting to be undefeated this year. All I was trying to accomplish for this year was win SAC, sectionals, regionals and get to state and place,” Meling said. “It has been a great senior year for me, and I hope this Saturday at the Coliseum my momentum keeps on rolling.

“If I could, I wish I could repeat my first two years of high school from what I know now today.”

Whatever Meling has learned has propelled him into the top 20 in the state in his weight class.

“If you were to walk into our wrestling room not knowing who he was, you might not be able to guess which one was the undefeated wrestler in the room,” first-year Snider coach Dave Mohr said. “This is due in part to the fact that he is surrounded by great wrestlers but also because he is one with the black eye and going about things methodically and not with a grunt of aggression or scream of anger. He’s not what most would consider the mold of a wrestler but his work ethic, dedication and understanding of the sport has turned into success for him.”

Meling was 24-9 at 103 as a freshman and 24-14 as a sophomore at 112.

“One thing eludes his career, and that is a trip to (the state finals),” Mohr said. “Like many wrestlers, he set a goal of making it down to the state finals. Now he is two matches away, and you’d never know it. We are practicing and treating this as an ordinary week, there are just a few less in the wrestling room, but those that remain are determined to push each other and make it to that next level.”

Meling got into wrestling in elementary school after his parents sent him to a camp put on by former Snider and current Indiana Tech coach Mike Ester. He also played baseball and basketball and even tried football before an eye injury ended that endeavor. So there was wrestling, first at Blackhawk Middle School and then Snider.

“Junior year was going to make or break him, but he didn’t give up and wanted to better himself mentally and physically,” Meling’s mother, Shannon, said. “He is a hard worker on and off the mat.”

Meling has also wrestled in various camps along the way and has even added cross country as a way to stay in shape for wrestling. He earned the mental attitude award as a freshman and went through knee surgery as a sophomore.

“I am constantly thinking about wrestling, and I am always trying to get better,” said Meling, who is rejoining Ester on the Indiana Tech wrestling team.

gjones@jg.net