Warsaw senior Luis Munoz (top) sharpens his skills with teammate Rene Adame at practice Wednesday. Munoz will compete in the State Finals starting Friday night in Indianapolis.

WARSAW –  Coach Justin Smith will not change his prematch message to standout wrestling pupil Luis Munoz Friday night.

The Warsaw mentor also already knows what his final message will be to his stellar senior when his prep career ends.

Munoz will represent the Tiger program in the State Finals starting Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

For Smith, his speech will not change course even though Munoz will be in new territory in his first trip to the tournament finale.

“I’ll tell him to go out and have fun,” said Smith at practice Wednesday. “It’s what I’ve told him before every match this postseason.”

“Regardless of what happens, I’ll tell him I’m proud of him and I’m glad that I got the opportunity to coach him.”

Munoz, who qualified for the semi state as a sophomore, earned his berth in the field of 16 grapplers in the 120-pound division with a lot of perseverance the last year.  He was sidelined  midway through his junior season when a situation with his heart, which was described as “overworked”, forced him to sit out for an entire year.  Munoz then suffered a concussion in practice the week prior to the NLC Championships last month. Fortunately, he was cleared for the start of the state tournament series and won sectional and regional titles before earning a runner-up finish at the loaded Merrillville Semistate last Saturday.

“I’m surprised to make it this far because I missed so much time,” said Munoz referring to the year off the mat to make sure his heart was okay. “And with the concussion I was afraid I was not going to get released to be in the sectional.

“This means a lot being my last year. My goal was to get to State. Now, I have to finish big. I want to place in the top eight. My goal always has to go up once I meet one.”

Munoz, who owns a 26-4 record, will have to win Friday night to earn a berth in the quarterfinals Saturday morning and a top eight finish. He will face South Adams senior L.J. Moser, who is 28-1, in the first round.

Warsaw’s Luis Munoz works in practice with teammate Rene Adame in preparation for the State Finals.

“We’re only worried about Friday’s match,” said Smith. “The stage is so big that you can’t look ahead. That’s been our focus all week. If the outcome turns out the way we want it Friday night, then we’ll worry about Saturday.

We’ve just been working on Luis’ strengths this week in practice. On his feet, he can wrestle with anyone in the state. We want him to get his offense going early in his match. If he goes into the third period with the lead, we’re confident he will win.

The big thing too is to make sure he goes in there confident. He also has to control his nerves and emotions, especially being his first time at State. Everyone will be a little nervous and how you deal with it will dictate what happens.”

Munoz took up wrestling in the seven grade after his football coach suggested he give it a try.

“I like the 1-on-1 of the sport and that you are going against people the same size,” said Munoz. “I give the credit to my coaches and friends for helping me get to this point.”

Smith, along with his assistant coaches Danny Moon and Chad Gabrich, and Warsaw wrestlers Luis Cervantes and Rene Adame were in the room Wednesday giving Munoz some great preparation at practice.

“Luis has attacked this week with the same determination and commitment he’s had all season,” said Smith. “He saw he could do this his sophomore year. He’s a very coachable kid. He listens and he’s a lot of fun to watch. He’s easy going, but serious when he’s wrestling.

“We’re just really excited and very proud of him. It’s kind of bittersweet. I wish I had the opportunity to coach him another year.

“I just want him to enjoy the weekend.”