Ingles Athlete of the Week: Noah Tocaben

Name: Noah Tocaben

School, Year: Enka, Senior

Sport, Weight: Wrestling, 138

How did you get into wrestling, and what do you enjoy about it?

I played a little bit of everything growing up, including tackle football and soccer. But when middle school rolled around, Greyson Harris [son of Enka coach Mark Harris] got me into wrestling. I immediately dialed in and dropped everything else. I think I'm a pretty goal-oriented person, and wrestling gave me the opportunity to watch myself get better and turn into accomplishments.

What was it like transferring to Enka from Asheville High after your sophomore year?

I've always known a lot of the guys through club wrestling and offseason wrestling. When I was a freshman, [Enka wrestler] Corbin Dion was kind of like an idol; I was at the Coliseum when he won the 2020 state title, and he was like, 'I wish you were at Enka.' And then I moved to Candler, and they took me in, and everybody has been so nice. I really am glad that I ended up here.

How do you stay focused during long meet days when you're only getting a match or two?

First of all, I'm managing my weight, and I like to get a sweat in on match days. It can sometimes be a little frustrating if you have a forfeit or something like that, but sometimes me and my sparring parter Isaiah Morrison will drift off and get a little work after a dual or during the duals if nothing's going on. It just is what it is, and I try not to worry about it.

What do you take away from your 3rd-place finish at states last year?

I always wanted to be a multiple-time state champion, but I have to be less focused on the outcome and more focused on how I compete. I got a tough draw, wrestled a three-time state champion in the quarters and wrestled back from third. It showed my grittiness, I stayed in the right mindset and it was satisfying.

What can you learn from some of your losses to strong competition early this season?

Losses like that, I kind of need that, just to make adjustments and humble myself a little bit. They're tough tournaments, but those are the matches that I need to win if I want to accomplish my end goal of winning a state title, and I think it'll be good for me in the end.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Ingles Athlete of the Week: Noah Tocaben (Enka wrestling)