Spartan Shield

Eli Loyd gets his hand raised after beating North Scott’s Nate Link at their dual meet in The Pit on Jan. 30, 2020.

The Pleasant Valley wrestling team has a rich history. The program has garnered two dual team state championships, six district championships and nine individual state champions throughout its existence. Senior Eli Loyd finished writing his chapter in the Spartans’ history book as one of the most dominant wrestlers in PV history.

On his journey to the state tournament this year, Loyd broke multiple long-standing school records. He became the career wins and pins leader with 125 falls and 195 victories; at 219 matches, Loyd also broke the record for most varsity matches wrestled in a career.

Loyd had an outstanding season inside the Mississippi Athletic Conference (MAC) as well. He became the first four-time Mississippi Athletic Conference Tournament champion in Pleasant Valley history and was selected as the 2020 MAC Conference Wrestler of the Year.

While Loyd didn’t achieve his goal of being a back-to-back state champion this season, he finished his high school career as a four-time state place winner and two-time state finalist — a feat only a few other PV wrestlers have achieved.

Loyd now has his sights set on the next level; he committed to Indian Hills Community College in November (IHCC) as the first member of their men’s wrestling program. While the path he chose is less travel-worn, Loyd felt it was the best fit.

“I felt like I was at home and it just was the place for me,” Loyd said of the Ottumwa-Centerville based school. “The [wrestling] program is just starting and I felt like I would grow my wrestling and academics as the program was.”

Loyd had invested hours of work in preparation for this season and the collegiate level. “I put in more time on the mat focusing on technique,” he explained. “I traveled to Kosovo and learned a different style of wrestling and I competed over the summer to learn from tough opponents.” Loyd also started hitting the weight room harder to give him an edge in his heavier weight class.

His efforts have paid dividends; Loyd saw much growth from previous seasons to the present. He had a season-best — and school record — 35 pins and amassed a 46-5 record.

Loyd attributed his success this season to his increased maturity and mat awareness. “[I’m] hitting the right moves at the right time and not always going big,” Loyd said. “Also [I] just stick to the basics … and hit my moves that I’m good at.”

Loyd’s experience on the mat has benefited many PV wrestlers. Caden McDermott, a freshman wrestling for the first time since elementary school, was Loyd’s wrestling partner for the majority of the season; he was glad to have the opportunity to practice with a high caliber wrestler. “He always gave me tips on better moves to hit in different situations,” McDermott commented. “He would always tell me what I could improve and do better when I didn’t do something right.”

Being around Loyd was never a drag for McDermott either. “He was really cool and wanted to throw some fun in when we were wrestling,” McDermott added. 

Loyd’s love for the sport carried over to the rest of the team; as one of the captains this season, he was always looking to help out anyone who needed advice. “If he saw someone struggling to do moves he would go over to them to help … when the coaches were working with other kids,” McDermott said.

The role of a mentor seems fitting for Loyd; he plans to study elementary education at Indian Hills next fall. Loyd made his decision because he had “always been good with kids … and always had fun with them.”

Loyd will end his time as a Spartan strong, with a well-suited career path and bright collegiate wrestling career to look forward to. With Loyd’s help, PV wrestling seems to be on the rise. While he will be moving on, the impact he made on the program will remain.