Former EHS wrestler and football player, alum Daniel Gonzales shocked the Great Plains Athletic Conference NAIA North Regionals by beating three higher seeded and one nationally ranked opponent to take a surprising championship held at Hastings, Nebraska.

Gonzales saw limited action this year due to getting an approximate two to three month late start because of his participation in football. He shocked the crowd when he came from behind and took the win over a nationally ranked opponent. That earned him a spot in the 2018 NAIA a national wrestling championship at the Jacobson Exhibition Center in Des Moines, Iowa on March 2 and 3. Gonzales attends Hastings Nebraska College where he plays football and wrestling and has a dual athletic scholarship. He was also an academic All American this past year.

“Proud of him,” stated Coach Derek Scott, who served as his head coach when Gonzales wrestled for the Cougars. “Danny has worked real hard in the classroom and in sports; it is extremely hard to play two sports in college. To accomplish that really states a lot about his character, work ethic, and determination. I’ve been using his story to inspire our team these last few weeks. He had every reason to doubt himself and he came in and worked for it and he was able to pull it off for not one but three matches in a row. Like I told him once you make the nationals in your sport, you are a legitimate player in that sport for the rest of your life.”