Life as a Mountaineer – Peyton Hall
February 25, 2021 12:33 PM | Wrestling
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Peyton Hall said his love of wrestling was nurtured at a young age growing up in Chester, West Virginia, at the top of the state's Northern Panhandle.
That is if you consider four to be young.
"I kind of loved it from the beginning," he says. "I don't think there was ever a time when I didn't like it. Whenever I started getting older and competing at national tournaments and becoming more competitive, I really fell in love with it then."
Hall said his No. 1 goal competing at Oak Glen High was to earn a college scholarship.
"I always knew I wanted to wrestle in college since I was little watching the NCAA Tournament on TV and just being around people that were in college wrestling," he says. "I put way more time into (wrestling) than any other sport, and I knew I wanted to go to college to wrestle."
West Virginia coach Tim Flynn believes Hall is the type of high-quality individual around which good programs can build.
He's already got one of those in junior Noah Adams, the nation's No. 7 ranked 197-pounder. Presently, Hall is ranked 22nd as a 165-pounder.
"He's a guy you can build a program around," Flynn explains. "We've already got Noah here, who is doing all the right things, and now you get someone like Peyton to come in a few classes behind, and I think what it does is it gives us some peace of mind that we have leadership in our program for a number of years to come."
Hall admits his style of wrestling is a little different than most other wrestlers against whom he competes.
"I don't really like to tie up and muscle people around like a lot of people do," he says.
Flynn agrees.
"His style is like nonstop movement and action, so he's always moving, and he flows really well," the veteran coach explains. "He's not like a stiff, rigid guy. I think any style that wins draws you to somebody. He won four state titles and two national championships so that always draws you to him, but more than anything, I met him at camp and his personality kind of draws you in. He's such a humble young man."
With most of his college career still in front of him, Hall says his wrestling goals are more personal in nature.
"Obviously, I want to be remembered as a good wrestler, but I also want to be remembered as a good person – just somebody that's there to help people and did everything he's supposed to," he says.
This week's Life as a Mountaineer was produced by Devin Kane and is presented by WVU Medicine.
That is if you consider four to be young.
"I kind of loved it from the beginning," he says. "I don't think there was ever a time when I didn't like it. Whenever I started getting older and competing at national tournaments and becoming more competitive, I really fell in love with it then."
Hall said his No. 1 goal competing at Oak Glen High was to earn a college scholarship.
"I always knew I wanted to wrestle in college since I was little watching the NCAA Tournament on TV and just being around people that were in college wrestling," he says. "I put way more time into (wrestling) than any other sport, and I knew I wanted to go to college to wrestle."
West Virginia coach Tim Flynn believes Hall is the type of high-quality individual around which good programs can build.
He's already got one of those in junior Noah Adams, the nation's No. 7 ranked 197-pounder. Presently, Hall is ranked 22nd as a 165-pounder.
"He's a guy you can build a program around," Flynn explains. "We've already got Noah here, who is doing all the right things, and now you get someone like Peyton to come in a few classes behind, and I think what it does is it gives us some peace of mind that we have leadership in our program for a number of years to come."
Hall admits his style of wrestling is a little different than most other wrestlers against whom he competes.
"I don't really like to tie up and muscle people around like a lot of people do," he says.
Flynn agrees.
"His style is like nonstop movement and action, so he's always moving, and he flows really well," the veteran coach explains. "He's not like a stiff, rigid guy. I think any style that wins draws you to somebody. He won four state titles and two national championships so that always draws you to him, but more than anything, I met him at camp and his personality kind of draws you in. He's such a humble young man."
With most of his college career still in front of him, Hall says his wrestling goals are more personal in nature.
"Obviously, I want to be remembered as a good wrestler, but I also want to be remembered as a good person – just somebody that's there to help people and did everything he's supposed to," he says.
This week's Life as a Mountaineer was produced by Devin Kane and is presented by WVU Medicine.
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