Confidence is a trait that is key to having success in many things in life. That's especially true in the sport of wrestling.

With just you, an opponent, and the mat, confidence is a must when it comes to wrestling. To have the talent to win is one thing, but to actually believe you're going to win can be a real advantage.Jim Thorpe's 106-pound wrestler Kevan Gentile improved not only his technique and overall wrestling ability from a season ago, but he also improved his confidence.Those improvements helped Gentile finish with a 40-1 record, a school-record 142 career wins, and the ultimate prize at the PIAA Class AA State Tournament.Gentile earned the first-ever state gold medal for the Olympians and for his effort, he's been named the Times News Wrestler of the Year for the second straight season."Kevan has always been a skilled wrestler, but you could just see a change in his demeanor this season," Jim Thorpe head coach Shawn Albert said. "He was just really focused and confident each time he went out there. He wasn't cocky, he just went out there and knew he could beat anybody, and I think that was big in him bringing home a state title."A reason for that confidence came in October at the Super 32 tournament in North Carolina. The tournament featured some of the top-ranked wrestlers in the country and Gentile, not even projected to place, advanced to the semifinals.Gentile lost to the eventual Super 32 champion in overtime during the semis. But it was right then and there he knew he could go toe-to-toe with anyone."Coming out of that tournament and with the way I performed, I proved to myself that I could compete with the best wrestlers in the country," Gentile said. "I gained a lot of confidence there and carried that with me into my senior season."Gentile's confidence boost also affected his wrestling style. Instead of playing the counter attack role, Gentile decided it was time to be an attack-first wrestler."After I did so well in that tournament I just thought if I could set the tone early in a match, I would have a good chance at winning," Gentile said. "So I started to take a lot of shots early on in matches. An early takedown can sometimes be enough to win and that's what I did this year. I became a more aggressive wrestler and confidence had a lot to do with that."Gentile was also able to gain some vengeance on his road to the state title. His first stop was the Schuylkill League championships. Gentile missed out on a title in 2015 on a tough call that got him disqualified. This season, however, there were no roadblocks in his path, as he was able to come away with league gold."That was one of my favorite things about this season," Albert said. "He lost on a really tough call last year, and this year I think he was really determined to win it. I think that tournament was when everything kicked into high gear for him and his competitive edge really showed."Next on Gentile's road of redemption was the state semis, where he faced Lehigh wrestling commit Aaron Burkett from Chestnut Ridge High School. Burkett defeated Gentile a year ago in the quarterfinals, but this season it was Gentile that came away with the victory. After that, Gentile's eyes were focused on the prize."That was a great moment for me, and that gave me the ultimate confidence boost I needed to win the state championship," said Gentile. "Once I was able to defeat Burkett, I knew that nothing was going to get in my way of winning."Gentile's time as a Jim Thorpe wrestler may be over, but he still is working harder than ever for the Olympians wrestling program. In fact, he's been helping at youth and junior high wrestling practices."I'm just trying to help get more kids out and interested in wrestling," Gentile said. "We have great coaches here, and they had a lot to do with my success. I think there are a lot of talented athletes in our school that can have success in this sport, and I'm just trying to help with that."