AJ Weber isn’t used to being the prey.

But at the Olympic Trojans wrestling practice on Wednesday, the “Predator” finally fell. It just took about 15 guys.

Weber was mobbed by his teammates and lovingly taped down to the mat, his legs also taped together. His team decided he needed to cool off after practice, so he was doused with ice. Weber smiled and went along with the joke.

Eventually, he was released. Still all smiles, he began looking for teammate Joe Flores, one of the lead aggressors. After a short chase, the teammates just smiled and laughed. Weber seemed to know he was due to get one back.

“You’ve got to watch yourself around AJ,” Oly coach Rick Griffith said. “He’s kind of a jokester. Off the mat he’s just real playful. He’s a goofball sometimes but he’s a good kid.

“The thing about AJ is when its showtime, you know AJ’s ready,” he said. “When he steps on the mat, he really believes he’s going to win. A lot of young kids when they lose, they’re not experienced. They’ll kind of accept that. He doesn’t. These young kids hopefully see that in him.”

The Oly senior, who also rips it up on the gridiron, has been dominating the 215-pound circuit this season, culminating in a first-place finish at last weekend’s Narrows League Bridge Division Subregional Tournament, earning him a No. 1 seed at the regional tourney, which began yesterday and resumes today at 10 a.m. at Foss High School in Tacoma.

But Weber has traveled a tough road to end up where he is now.

Weber originally attended North Kitsap High School. As a sophomore, he ended up within one match of the state tourney, losing by just one point in his final match at that year’s district tourney.

Last season was mostly lost due to the fact that Weber transferred to Olympic. The Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association, Washington’s governing body for high school athletics, places eligibility restrictions on students who change districts or schools.

Weber did get to be an active member of the team, but he could not participate with the varsity or in the postseason. Griffith said Weber was allowed to travel with the team to tournaments where he could participate as an alternate. While he was able to get in 17 matches, Griffith said the experience just shows his dedication.

“The bottom line this year is just perseverance,” Griffith said. “He’s been there. He could have easily walked off the mat last year and not competed or done it half-hearted. This year he’s had some road bumps. But he stuck with it. I wish you could take that desire and instill it in some of these other kids.”

Weber too said this added to his determination. He said he couldn’t have made it through without the help of his coaches at Olympic.

“I’ve never made it out of regionals before,” Weber said. “I lost by 1 point my sophomore year and my junior year they took from me. That’s what drives me.”

Weber credits much of his success to his parents, coaches and teammates that stayed behind him to crack the whip from the time he began wrestling as a seventh grader at Ridgetop Junior High.

“I’m thankful for all that,” Weber said. “I’m thankful to be around some great wrestlers and coaches. Once I met Clark Hutchman (a teammate at NK who placed third in state at 160 as a senior), he was the one that really got on me for wrestling and how I’ve got to train. He was a senior when I was a sophomore. The people that got me through (last year) were my parents and coach (Steve) Polillo (an Oly assistant coach) yelling at my head everyday that I can’t just take a year off.”

It’s easy to understand how Weber could be frustrated with his situation. But what makes him so special on and off the mat for Oly is that he’s not. That positivity is something Weber said helps him and the team.

“I like this team,” Weber said. “There’s a lot of friendships on the team. On the mat, everyone is cheering you on. On some teams, it’s kind of like, ‘Let’s go cheer for this guy because he’s the best on the team.’ But those aren’t the guys that need to be cheered on. You need to cheer on the guys that aren’t so sure.”

Griffith said Weber is one that leads by example, giving all he has on the mat.

“What he brings in leadership is what he does on the mat,” Griffith said. “What he brings is experience, freestyle experience. He’s wrestled a lot of matches. What he’s done in the last couple meets, his confidence has really been boosted by the wins.”

All that’s left now is to keep the ball rolling toward state. But Weber knows he first has to get through regionals.

“I just think of guys I’ve taken down before,” Weber said. “I’ve been places they haven’t been. When I’m going against someone good, I know I’ve wrestled people better. So it doesn’t worry me.

“I knew I could have wrestled with the best at state. I’m hungry for state. As soon as I step into the dome, it’s time to go to work.”

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