KISSIMMEE, Fla — Osceola High School has a long tradition of producing state champions in wrestling, and this year should be no different as they have three state champions returning to the mat.

Gunner Holland has been wrestling since he was a six-year-old. It is a sport that he truly enjoys.

“I love it a lot,” said Holland.

The two time state champ still feels like he has more to accomplish as he prepares for another shot at the gold. It’s a sport that requires a lot of going through the grid of training and practicing the proper technique. It’s something he takes joy in.

“It’s addicting, very addicting, trying to get better every day, very addicting,” said Holland.

The work has paid off. Gunner is a 2-time state champion hoping to get his third in a row this year.

“My main goal is to win the 2023 state championship and then I want to go up and win nationals,” said Holland.

In 2021 he placed eighth overall in the NHSCA national tournament and last year he finished third.

“I feel I haven’t accomplished that much yet, I haven’t won regionals yet. I feel a lot of people doubt me. I feel I have a lot of stuff to work on.”

His junior year started out slow, that was because he didn’t join the team until a few weeks in to the season, but he had a good reason.

“I was playing football,” said Holland. “We lost in the state semi-finals to a very tough Lakeland team 14-7.”

That game was played on December 2. The next week he was back on the mat.

“The following Friday and Saturday we had a two day tournament, a very tough tournament, and I was right back to action on Friday and Saturday and won that tournament,” said Holland.

You would think transitioning from football to wrestling is easy, but not according to Gunner.

“No, nothing easy about it at all,” said Holland. “I mean, I go from football conditioning to right into wrestling, going six minutes with a kid who is trying to whoop my butt, nothing easy about it.”

This is nothing new to him. This is something he has been doing since he was a kid.

“So I would play baseball and wrestle and then in football season I would have football cross country and track,” said Holland. “I was doing a lot. I was alway busy.”

Gunner’s quest for a 3rd state championship will happen in his hometown. The wrestling state finals are at Silver Spurs Arena on March 2-4.