Standing on the mat, palms sweaty, senior wrestler Viola Pianetto was in the IHSA state championship match against a girl she had previously wrestled. Pianetto ended up placing 2nd and became the first Prospect girls’ wrestler to medal at the state competition, which was held from Feb. 28 to March 1 in Bloomington, Ill. 

“I knew I had already made it this far, and it felt really reassuring that I would place, win or lose,” Pianetto said. “I was just in the moment and was very grateful to be happy and healthy.”

Pianetto competed in the 135 lbs weight class with a season record of 36-1. Having put in the majority of her work in the offseason, she felt confident in her ability to perform at the state level. 

“I was pretty much on par with [the other girl in the final match],” Pianetto said. “So that puts into perspective that if I keep on chasing her I could win the state title.”

Although disappointed in her placement, Pianetto was congratulated by friends and coaches. She credits her success to head coach John Bassler, who came up with multiple strategies to help Pianetto win.

“Bassler knows how to coach,” Pianetto said. “He was first scouting my opponent out, and then we found ways to defend her shots and her style of wrestling.”

In the practices leading up to the state meet, Bassler had Pianetto’s teammates wrestle in the same style as her competitors so that she would have experience with those techniques before the competition.  

“He made my drilling partners wrestle like [my opponent] so when the time came around I wasn’t nervous to wrestle this girl because I had wrestled her at practice,” Pianetto said. 

Pianetto’s journey through wrestling has come with ups and downs, but she feels the overwhelming support from everyone who has walked with her in her journey, which will continue at the collegiate level as she will wrestle D2 at Minot State University.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better support system,” Pianetto said.