Good Counsel’s Kyle Snyder focuses on wrestling, lofty goals

Cardinals Coach Don Dight, who has coached in the area for 15 years, called Snyder “one of the most technically adroit guys I’ve ever seen.”

“He’s not old enough to drive a car, but he could probably push one wherever he wants to,” Dight added with a chuckle.

(Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post) - Kyle Snyder of Good Counsel, one of the top high school wrestlers in the country, stretches out at the beginning of a workout in preparation for an upcoming tournament at the Kolat Training Center.

Saar said the biggest challenge is finding competition to challenge Snyder on a regular basis, which often means heading to local colleges to train. In the spring, Snyder wrestled up an age group at a pair of national tournaments and recorded top-three finishes, both times falling to college-age wrestlers.

“I’ve never seen a kid that dialed into what he wants to do,” Saar said. “He’s not afraid of anybody, and he thinks he should beat everybody.”

Many of those skills translated easily to the football field, helping Snyder earn a spot on the Falcons’ varsity squad as a freshman. Snyder, who has played football every fall since first grade, initially brought up the possibility of focusing on wrestling to his father, Steve, late in the Falcons’ run to a third straight WCAC title.

Steve Snyder, a former lineman at Towson, wanted to make sure his son didn’t make a quick decision. Kyle Snyder worried that people would think that he stopped liking football or is stepping away to avoid injury.

“Most guys play football for the scholarship and wrestle for the conditioning,” said Georgetown Prep Coach Mike Kubik, whose team often trains with Good Counsel. “He’s basically vice-versa.”

Snyder had grown used to the scheduling challenges of playing both sports. Last summer, he wrestled six days a week while still making time for four football workouts. During the football season, he tried to wrestle three times per week.

Now Snyder can focus all that energy into his wrestling career.

His brother Stephen — now a 285-pounder at Army — proved a valuable summer training partner when he came home for a few weeks, and Snyder attended all four pre-tournament camps set up for Maryland national team members.

In the fall, Snyder will have time to start taking unofficial college visits. (He’ll likely receive a full athletic scholarship in a sport where fully funded Division I programs must split 9.9 scholarships among all their athletes.) While he’s familiar with many of the local schools recruiting him, he’d like to check out Oklahoma, Penn State and Ohio State. He’s also excited about adding a few tournaments to his schedule, including the prestigious Super 32 Challenge in October.

Snyder might even take a break. Somewhat begrudgingly, he usually takes a full month off from wrestling every year to recharge. So far, with so many goals left to chase, he hasn’t allowed time for that.

“It’s not like I’m just sitting on the couch eating potato chips and playing video games,” Snyder said. “I love being on the mat, working hard and trying to get better. That’s what I want to do.”