By Mike Finn, WIN Editor

Eloheim Palma could have wrestled for any college he wanted to after winning four North Carolina state championships for Cary (N.C.) High School and the most recent NHSCA Senior Nationals in Virginia Beach, Va.

            Instead, he chose to stay home and compete for North Carolina State next winter.

            “People said I had to go out of state to be a national champion. I want to prove them wrong,” said Eloheim. “The reason why North Carolina has not been that good is because many left.”

            Palma also expects to wrestle right away for the Wolfpack next year.

            “Some college coaches said I could be an All-American right away,” he said. “I don’t just want to be an All-American. I want to be a national champ.”

            Such high standards are one reason why Palma earned the Junior Schalles Award, presented by WIN and Wade Schalles to the nation’s best high school pinner. It was named after Schalles, the former Clarion national champion who pinned 109 of 153 victims in college between 1972 and 1973.

            For the record, Palma pinned 50 opponents in compiling a 62-0 record this season (including 10 forfeits and a default). His pin percentage of the matches that were wrestled was 98 percent. Only one match this year went the distance, he settled for a 10-4 decision in the state finals. For his career, Palma pinned 159 opponents in compiling a 225-9 mark in four years.

            “I don’t feel that I’ve won a match unless I pin someone,” said Palma. “When you pin someone there is no doubt that you beat someone.”

            Palma’s work ethic came from his parents, who emigrated from Costa Rica.

            “My parents were different and grew up in a different country and put a lot on me,” said Palma, who was born in Los Angeles before moving to Florida with the family when he was two and eventually settled in North Carolina. “I want to take advantage of my opportunities.”

            “Everyone will talk about how hard a kid works but this wrestler is special,” said his high school coach Jerry Winterton. “Eloheim outworks everyone in the room. As a heavyweight it is amazing how he'll run sprints, lift weights, do pull-ups and all the extras to better himself.”

            He also wants to make his brother, Jainor, proud.

            “Pretty much my wrestling I learned from my brother,” said Eloheim (pronounced El-O-heem). “He told me to keep hustling and the one common thing from my freshman year to my senior year is that I never stopped hustling.

            “My brother trained me the majority of my high school career. He’s a lot bigger and stronger than me.

            “What I learned to do from wrestling him was the mistakes that I made like putting too much pressure on one leg or the other or not keeping my head up.”

            “Eloheim had a head start and took off with it,” said Winterton. “He has won at every level growing up.”

            Palma, who stands 6-foot, 265 pounds, earned All-State honors in football as well but chose to wrestle in college when coaches said he was too short to play Division I football.

            “The best thing about playing both was to never play down to my level,” Palma said. “I got used to performing at a high level, which really helps a lot when you are at a national tournament.”