Tiger Talk: Samuel Thornhill with RSHS Wrestling

Tiger Talk: Samuel Thornhill with RSHS Wrestling

Graphic Design by Kaylee Hughes

Welcome to #TIGERTALK – a SweetwaterNOW exclusive series where Rock Springs High School Tigers inspire our community by telling their stories in their own words.


I am Samuel Thornhill. I am 17 years old and I am a junior at Rock Springs High School and am currently a member of the APS academy. I have always enjoyed sports. I have been wrestling since I was four years old, and have been playing football since the fourth grade. 


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My journey in wrestling started at a very young age. I come from a family of wrestlers, so as a kid, it was never really a question if I would wrestle. I first started peewees at the age of four. I quickly fell in love with the sport and continued my wrestling career with Top of the Rock. I spent most of my youth traveling to different tournaments and competing all over the United States. I remember all the long nights of wrestling as a kid, and I am so grateful for them as they’ve made me the young man I am today.

The biggest turning point in wrestling for me was in eighth grade. All of my friends, and common opponents had moved on to high school wrestling. This had left me alone and with an entirely new group of partners and opponents. That year, I wrestled with my coaches every day. I had also traveled all over in search of tougher competition. That year, I received All-American honors four separate times and became a multiple-time national champion. That year really changed my outlook on wrestling and helped prepare me for my high school career. Wrestling has also taught me so much about life. It has taught me to work hard, be disciplined, have faith in myself, and most importantly, it has taught me to find the fun in things. I am super excited for the remainder of my wrestling career and look forward to the rest of this season. We have a super good group this year and I believe we will do well as a team, and individually. My goals for this year are to become a more dominant wrestler, to win state, to become a three-time high school All-American, and to have fun.

Sam running the football for RSHS

Another thing in life I truly enjoy is football. For as long as I can remember, I have always loved football. I began playing in fourth grade on the Buccaneers. I remember immediately falling in love with the sport. At the beginning of my football career, I played quarterback, but as time went on, I switched my positions to running back and linebacker. When I got to high school, I fell in love with the sport even more. By my sophomore year, I had started varsity on every team. At the end of this year, I received 2nd team all-state on defense, honorable mention on offense, and first-team all-conference. Just like wrestling, football has taught me so much about life. Football has taught me how to work with a team, how to be tough, and how to face adversity. Football has also taught me how to do things for others, and not just myself as many things are bigger than me. 

With all the success I have had in sports, I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without a big group of people. I would like to thank every coach I’ve had for pushing me, motivating me, understanding me, and having fun with me. I also want to thank them all for making me a better person and athlete. I would also like to thank my parents for being my biggest supporters, and for helping me throughout every step of my life. I would finally like to thank all of my practice partners, friends, and opponents who have pushed me to become a better wrestler, and football player. 

Finally, I would like to talk about some of the things I enjoy outside of sports. One of my favorite things to do is snowboard. My friends introduced me to it about two years ago, and since then I can’t get enough of it. After wrestling season, my friends and I will pack up and spend almost every weekend snowboarding until the season ends. Another thing I enjoy is spending time with my friends and family, as I feel as if those are two of the most important things in life, and I am so blessed to have made all of my memories with them. And finally, I love listening to music. I feel as if music helps me keep calm, and helps me stay productive.