NICK RUBEK
WorldHerald Staff Writer
Abdi Unle is a wrestling contradiction.
The Omaha Bryan senior is part trailblazer, part throwback. As much as he studies the sport, he picks up just as much on the fly. He has a bright future, not a typical past.
"I think wrestling is definitely his calling," Bears coach Jason Susnjar said.
That calling will be on display at the state tournament at CHI Health Center, beginning with Thursday's opening rounds. Unle, who last February gave the program its first state title in over 20 years, is one of the headliners of the three-day boys portion.
There aren't many like him -- this year or any other year.
The third of 12 kids, he didn't get on Mark Manning's radar because of a decorated youth career. Instead, Unle impressed the Nebraska coach with old-school passion for the sport.
"He hasn't been privileged by any means," Manning said. "Tough backgrounds make tough kids. He's persevered."
That used to be the norm in wrestling circles. Manning sees it less and less now.
Kids without youth accolades are the outliers. But that wasn't a hang-up for the head Husker.
"He loves wrestling, which was No. 1 on our list," Manning said.
Unle's grappling days started in middle school. His coach's advice then? Stall.
"His first match, he ran around like it was a track meet," Susnjar said.
Fittingly, footwork came fastest. A fascination with wrestling wasn't far behind. Unle learned from some of the world's best via YouTube and Flo Wrestling highlights.
"Every time I got bored," Unle said, "I'd watch random people wrestle."
His personal highlight reel has become must-see stuff, too.
Unle is ranked No. 4 nationally at 113 pounds by MatScouts. There isn't another senior in the top 15 of the weight class.
Last year at state, he pinned his way to the top after finishing second a season earlier.
"Kids wrestle since they were 4 years old and they never get to where he is," Susnjar said.
Wasn't always that way. Unle was "kind of lost," as Susnjar says. He didn't know what he wanted to do.
Wrestling, for a Bryan program the coach cultivated into more of a family than a team, became an escape.
"It's never quiet," Unle said of life with a dozen siblings. "That can be a good or bad thing."
Now, a couple of Unle's younger brothers are in the Bears' youth wrestling system.
"I swear Abdi puts them in the living room and says 'OK, wrestle,'" Susnjar said. "They are hammers. And it blows my mind how quickly they pick it up."
They'll have a high bar if they want to reach the same level as their older brother.
Unle enters the postseason a unanimous No. 1 in Nebraska at 120 pounds. At 45-0, he's a heavy favorite for a second gold. He would be the third wrestler in Bryan history to win two state titles.
But Unle's plans are much bigger. Think global.
"I want to win a world championship after college," he said.
It's part of what sold him on the homestate Huskers. Unle and Susnjar took trips to Oregon State, Northwestern and Virginia. The opportunity in Lincoln -- specifically a training center focused on Olympic development -- was too good to pass up.
"It's refreshing to know that he was recruited by a lot of good schools across the country, he had options, and he chose us because he saw that we could help him develop to be his best," Manning said. "He's not afraid of competition, and he's kind of like a wrestling geek.
"He's a master of the game. He really studies it, and that's really the type of guy we want in our program."
Unle will go to Lincoln and expects to redshirt his first season. He'll hit the books -- Unle plans to major in exercise science -- and the weights, hoping to crack the NU lineup at 125.
There's no rush, though. Unle is just excited to get into the same room with some of the sport's top freestyle minds. NU assistant James Green has extensive international experience. Former Husker Jordan Burroughs, a regular face around the program, is one of the best freestyle wrestlers in U.S. history.
"I just want to get better, be the best I can be," Unle said. "The people in those rooms, they're going to help me get to that place."
Thursday
Boys Class A and D -- first round starts at 9:30 a.m. with quarterfinals to follow.
Boys Class B and C -- first round starts at 3 p.m. with quarterfinals to follow.
Friday
Boys Class A and D -- consolations start at 9:30 a.m., semifinals start at 6 p.m.
Boys Class B and C -- consolations start at 12:30 p.m., semifinals start at 6 p.m.
Saturday
All classes start at 9 a.m. for consolations, third and fifth place matches to follow. Finals start at 3 p.m.