By Don Ketchum

Wrestling might be the most difficult of all the high school sports. You have to be doubly tough and in the best shape of your life to survive.

Those requirements seem to multiply if a person is one of the smaller wrestlers. Just how do they keep their strength, their stamina? What drives them?

Perhaps Ryder Nielsen can provide some insight.

He won state championships at 103 and 112 pounds in his first two years at St. Johns High. As a junior this season, he is working his way toward another title at 114 pounds.

“I love pushing my body to the limit,’’ he said. “As a sport, you have to have more mental toughness in wrestling than any other. It makes you work hard.’’

Injuries also can be a part of the process, as Nielsen is all too painfully aware.

Last season, he overcame a torn wrist ligament to secure a state title, and this season is coming back from a broken leg suffered in the Redskins’ Class 2A playoff game against Camp Verde. St. Johns wrestling coach Brandon Crosby estimates that Nielsen “is about 85, 90 percent back to normal.’’

“He’s not full-speed, but he is getting his quickness back,’’ Crosby said.

Nielsen, a 120-pound wide receiver and defensive back, is as tough as they come.

“I love playing football, and I love wrestling, too,’’ he said.

After he broke his leg, doctors told him the recovery time would be about four weeks, but it was closer to seven before he was able to approach more strenuous tasks.

“It was difficult. I just tried to stay positive that things would turn out all right,’’ he said.

He started working with weights and jogging to increase his leg strength.

He knows it sounds like a cliché, but he doesn’t look to far ahead, choosing to take it one match at a time.

Nielsen makes sure he is in top shape and mentally prepared.

“Our coaches are the best in the state, I think,’’ he said. “I look to them for advice.

“Every match is about preparing your mind. I don’t worry about my physical ability so much. You do it for so long and it sort of takes over naturally. It’s also about being confident in yourself.’’

Keeping up in the classroom is the key to remaining eligible, and Nielsen tries to emphasize that along with having a good work ethic when he talks to younger wrestlers.

“I try to reach out to my teammates if they need help,’’ he said.

Said Crosby: “He is a really good student, a smart kid. On the mat, he is an intense kid. He is a quiet leader, not overly loud, but he gets his point across. He is focused and determined and very aggressive, usually from the start of a match. He doesn’t like to wait around.’’

Nielsen has an older brother and sister and a younger brother and sister. He appreciates the support from his family. He hopes for an outstanding senior year in 2011-12, and already has received a few letters of inquiry about wrestling when he goes to college.

He knows that since he is one of the lighter wrestlers, he must prove his worth every time out.

“You have to have heart and determination,’’ he said. “The way I look at it is, I’m not backing down from anybody.’’