The final score was respectable — probably more so than the actual match which, if we’re being honest, wasn’t as close as the 12-7 outcome that flashed on the board.

Webster City junior CJ Hisler wasn’t happy with how he wrestled. In a lot of ways, he was beaten by his own mind before he even stepped into the center circle. And he didn’t have much time to exorcise those inner demons, not if he wanted to reach a goal he’d had since he was a toddler.

That five-point loss came against Osage’s Cole Jeffries during the Class 2A regional duals on Feb. 8, and Hisler knew there was a great chance they’d meet again just four days later at the district tournament.

Physically, Hisler was up to the challenge. But mentally? He had work to do. A lot of work.

“I was a nervous Nelly or a negative Nancy, whatever you want to call it, and I was getting to a point where I just couldn’t handle it anymore,” Hisler said. “But then I sat down with my dad (WCHS head wrestling coach Chad Hisler) and talked. After that I thought what if I just go out there and don’t think anything? There’s no reason to be negative, I’m just wrestling for me and my teammates, and everyone is going to be OK with the outcome either way as long as I do my best. That really changed my mindset and it ended up being the key reason why I had the success I did toward the end of the season.”

Hisler did meet Jeffries at districts, a bout he dominated with throws and near-fall points before he finally pinned the Osage grappler in the third period. They met again at the state tournament six days later in the Class 2A 195-pound quarterfinals, and again Hisler owned Jeffries, this time by fall in 1:20.

Self-reflection was the key to everything.

Hisler won six of his final seven postseason matches at districts and state — his only setback came against nationally ranked three-time state champion and UNI recruit Wyatt Voelker of West Delaware in the state semifinals — en route to a third-place medal.

He’d accomplished his goals, and almost five months later, it’s still hard for him to believe.

“Honestly, the fact that I got third at state still hasn’t hit me, I’m still living in that,” he said. “Everyone has that little voice in their head that you can’t do this or you can’t do that, but it’s always something that can be overcome. Changing my attitude a little bit put it all out there in perspective for me.”

The state bronze medal was the top highlight of Hisler’s junior year, but there were so many more that came close for the four-sport athlete. And today he adds another honor to his already impressive resume, as he’s been named the 2022 Grid Iron Daily Freeman-Journal Male Athlete of the Year.

“It’s definitely a huge honor,” Hisler said of the Athlete of the Year award, which he was a finalist for in 2021. “It feels great to have all of that hard work pay off and have something to show for it.”

Hisler is the ninth winner of the award that was first handed out in 2014. He follows a former football and baseball teammate Tyler Olson, who was the back-to-back winner in 2020 and 2021.

Hisler’s superior athleticism and long list of achievements speak for themselves. Whether he was running the ball on the football field, decking opponents on the wrestling mat, sprinting toward the finish line first on the track, or driving in run after run on the baseball diamond, he was a catalyst for WCHS in every sport in which he competed. He’s been doing it since he was a freshman, and even the eighth grade where baseball is concerned.

Hisler says all of the sports are intertwined. Had he decided to specialize in just one sport prior to the start of high school, he doesn’t think he’d be close to the athlete that he is today.

“Being a multi-sport athlete is huge and it’s an opportunity you don’t get at most bigger schools,” he said. “It’s tiring from time to time, but I love it.”

Hisler was a pivotal two-way cog for the WCHS football team last fall when he helped the Lynx win the 4A District 1 title and reach the state quarterfinals on his way to all-state accolades. At wingback, he rushed for a team-high 1,032 yards and seven touchdowns — he added 108 receiving yards and another score as well — and on special teams he had the ability to frighten opponents with his 36.7 yards per return average and two TDs on kickoffs. Defensively, he made 21 1/2 tackles and intercepted a team-best three passes.

Football wasn’t Hisler’s favorite sport growing up, but it’s where he sees his future. He already has one college offer from Grand View University and his recruitment is bound to intensify in the fall months.

Hisler’s state bronze medal capped a 31-6 season on the wrestling mat, a campaign in which he also won his second North Central Conference title and closed in on 100 career victories.

In the spring, he moved to the track where he ran at the state track and field meet for the second straight season. And all Hisler did this summer was play flawless defense in left field and hit third for a WCHS baseball team that won its fourth consecutive league championship. Entering the postseason, he led the team in RBIs with 38 and owned a batting average of .381. He was a repeat first team all-North Central Conference honoree, and could quite possibly be named all-state for the second time.

The yards gained, matches won, track medals owned, and runs batted in are all nice. So are the countless wins. And yet Hisler says those aren’t the things that he will most remember years from now.

The individual successes? They pale in comparison to the team achievements. The wins and losses? They aren’t necessarily as memorable as the camaraderie during those moments out of the public eye.

“The wins and losses don’t really stick with me that much,” Hisler said. “It’s more about being with my teammates, that will stick with me for the rest of my life.”

What does Hisler have in mind for an encore as a senior in 2022-23? What else is there left to accomplish? Plenty, and he’s excited to see how it all unfolds.

“Over the years, I’ve been taught that you play or run or wrestle for the seniors, that’s what your main goal is,” he said. “But I still don’t want to play for me. I want to play for my teammates and try to make as many memories as possible.”