There are 16 banners hanging in the wrestling room at Niagara Falls High School.
They all have a story and they all motivate the current team. They belong to the best wrestlers to ever compete for Niagara Falls.
But there is plenty of room for more.
There’s space on the wall for Kayden Feagin to get his own banner after a podium finish at the state championships.
In order to get there though, he first has to qualify for the state championships.
His chance to do that is coming up at the Section VI Division I championships starting Saturday. If he wins that tournament, he will be heading to the state championships.
“I’ve wanted that (banner) since I joined this team. So it means a lot to me to leave a mark for the sport,” Feagin said.
He is helped in that pursuit by being the top seed in the 138-pound weight class bracket. But, the banner and the word legacy have served as reminders to the senior.
It is a reminder of everything that he has worked for and will continue to work for moving forward.
It is something that gets him locked back in mentally on days where he might need a jolt.
“It obviously motivates you when you know you’re that close to getting something you work so hard for and it comes down to a six-minute match,” Niagara Falls head coach Josh Eagan said. “… Sometimes it comes down to a period or a takedown late in the match. … I know one of his goals is to definitely get on that podium in Albany so he can have that legacy for himself.”
His first step to getting to Albany and building a legacy came on Feb. 7, when he captured the 138-pound Niagara Frontier League championship. He won the championship match by a 7-6 decision over Grand Island’s Jeremy Buchanan.
Despite the win, Feagin was not happy with his performance. He knew he could’ve done more and gotten a more forceful win.
If the two do faceoff once again in the Section VI championships, Feagin wants a different result. He wants to shoot for more takedowns in the sequel.
Feagin’s ability to take grapplers to the ground has been on full display this year with 12 wins coming via the fall. Overall, Feagin has a 25-4 record, good for a tie for the third-most wins on the Wolverines.
Last season, Feagin went 30-16 making it all the way to state championships where he finished just off the podium. Feagin’s season ended with a loss to Athena-Arcadia-Olympia-Odyssey’s Devon Weber in the fourth consolation round.
“(I am) very motivated,” Feagin said. “I wanted it really bad last year and I want it even more this year with how close I was last year.”
Feagin followed wrestling season by running track to increase his explosiveness and quickness. He takes a class at school where he works on his resistance training to help get stronger.
Feagin’s work in that class has shown directly in his success as a grappler where he is 87-43 over his career.
If he does finish his senior year at the state championships, he will not just be there to soak in the experience and have fun. He’s on a mission.
He will not rest until he becomes the fourth state champion in Wolverines history.
“I think I can place at states this year and I don’t aim on just barely placing,” Feagin said.