photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence's Jadin Harrell smiles after a win in the 6A East boys wrestling regional tournament on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2206, at Shawnee Mission North High School.

Jadin Harrell walked up the steps of the Lawrence auxiliary gymnasium to the wrestling room every day this week knowing he only had a finite number of times doing so left.

It’s an emotional realization for Harrell, who started wrestling with Sunflower Kids Wrestling Club at 7 years old, which practiced at Lawrence High School. Now as a senior, his wrestling career at Lawrence wraps up with the state tournament.

“It’s a lot of emotion looking back on the crazy wrestling career I’ve had,” Harrell said. “It’s been a cool ride.”

Harrell is going into the tournament on a high note. The senior won his first varsity tournament on Saturday, taking the crown of the 190-pound weight class in the 6A East regional tournament. Now, he’s looking to carry that momentum all the way into the state finals.

“I felt pretty good,” Harrell said of the regional title. “I knew that I shouldn’t have had a problem winning it. I knew I had to go out and execute. That’s what I did.”

Despite peaking at the best time, it’s been a challenging season for Harrell. He tore his labrum at wrestling nationals over the summer, and proceeded to play through the injury during the football and wrestling seasons. With a lot of stretching, recovery and pain management, Harrell has been able to take care of business when he’s on the mat.

Harrell has managed to mitigate the issues of playing with a shoulder injury, but it hasn’t been easy. He said he’s spent the season competing at about 85% health, and that there have been times where he has avoided doing certain things in matches to avoid putting stress on his injury.

That’s when Harrell falls back on the technique he’s been practicing for over a decade.

“It’s been challenging, but at the end of the day, there’s always a win to win,” Harrell said. “You just have to figure out a way to win. That’s really been my mindset all year. You’ve got to find a way. Whether that’s pinning a kid in 30 seconds or going six minutes to win by one, there’s always a way.”

That mindset has helped Harrell find success whenever he’s been on the mat. Before the regional tournament, Harrell hadn’t wrestled in nearly a month. He wasn’t sure how he was going to perform, but he knew how hard he was going to work.

“Going through regionals the way I did was a pretty big confidence boost,” Harrell said. “It reminded me why I’m where I’m at and all the work I’ve done to get here. Getting on top of (the podium) right before the biggest week of my wrestling career was crucial for me.”

The state tournament is a different beast. The tournament includes the top eight wrestlers from the east and west regionals — everyone there had to earn their spot.

But Harrell earned his No. 1 seed. He had three pins in the regional tournament, three of which came in under a minute.

“It was pretty important to me (to get a top seed),” Harrell said. “Considering who is in my bracket, getting a one seed was crucial. Theoretically, it’s the easiest route. But it could be anybody’s match. You have to be the best kid for 30 seconds and you can win a match.”

At the state tournament, Harrell is focused on bringing the same mindset that helped him come out on top of the regional. He knows what he’s capable of, and he knows what needs to happen to get to the finals.

“At the end of the day, it’s going to come down to my mindset,” Harrell said. “The psychological warfare that goes on in wrestling is insane. I know finals would be hard, but I know I could win finals. It’s going to be hard, but I’ve been telling myself if anybody can do it, it’s me.”

Harrell said he won’t be messing around when he steps on the mat on Friday. With the state tournament being two days against the best wrestlers in the state, he’s going to strike when he gets an opportunity.

But no matter what happens, Harrell will close his wrestling career. And even if that means not reaching the finals, Harrell is proud of how it’s all come together.

“At the end of the day, you work hard as you’re going to place,” Harrell said. “I think I’ve worked hard enough to get to the top and stand at the top. Even if I don’t stand at the top, I’ve had a crazy wrestling career. I’m happy that I’ve been in the wrestling community and been a part of it for so long.”