State colleges: Getting to know Casy Rowell, Central Oklahoma

Rowell wants to teach physical education at the elementary school level. “Ten years from now, wherever I'm at, I want to be teaching kids some of the things that I've liked. I want everyone to find their passion, too. I want to mold them while they're young, because high school kids are set in their ways and it's hard to change them.”

Central Oklahoma coach David James has been a huge role model, “a perfect guy to look up to. It took me a few years to really appreciate what he was saying, but he's a great wrestling coach. And he's a good guy, too. He takes care of us.”

James asked Rowell to redshirt early in his collegiate career, “and I took it pretty hard. I tried to understand why, what I did wrong and all that. But I finally realized what I had ahead of me. I had a whole year to practice and get better. I finally appreciated it. It helped springboard me to what I am today.”

BY SCOTT MUNN