Jaden Selby does it all. The WCHS senior student-athlete is putting together an astounding wrestling season for the bulldogs right after capping off a phenomenal football season. Selby played quarterback for the bulldogs, who won their first playoff game in 10 years this season. He was the Montgomery County Offensive Player of the Year and was named as a Honorable Mention All-Met by the Washington Post. Selby is ultimately going to continue his career at the University of North Carolina, where he will display his athleticism on their football team. But for now he is continuing to dominate Montgomery County, this time as a wrestler.

Selby has a 34-1 record so far this season (as of Feb. 22) and has led the wrestling team to a 4A west regional championship as well as state championship runner up. The captain won Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Grapple at the Brook tournament as he opened his season undefeated at 22-0. Selby wrestles in the 170 pound weight division, which does not require him to cut any weight from the 180 pound frame he maintains during the football season since he is able to consistently lose enough weight through working hard and sweating at practice. Although Selby is talented at both football and wrestling, wrestling is his favorite sport.

“Wrestling is my favorite sport because I love the grind and I love winning. I’m also very experienced and I love being able to help out my teammates who have less experience. I have been wrestling for 12 years now; I started in 1st grade,” Selby said. 

It was an easy decision for Selby to start wrestling at such a young age, and because of it he is the great wrestler he is today. 

“My mom asked me if I wanted to play soccer or wrestle and I chose wrestling because I thought it was going to be like the WWE. I was a huge fan of WWE when I was younger,” Selby said. 

Selby’s success has also carried on to the team as a whole. The team is 17-1 and wrapped up their season with a second place finish in the County championship. The team reached a huge milestone by defeating Damascus in a very close match. The moment was very special for the team as a whole since they haven’t beat Damascus in over 10 years.  

Selby leads by example when it comes to setting up his team for success. He works extremely hard not only during the practice sessions they have every day but also in the offseason and in the classroom. 

“Jaden’s so good because of his work ethic. He’s a good leader since he leads by example rather than just telling. Something I try to take away from watching Jaden wrestle this season is how much time and effort he put into every movc,” WCHS sophomore wrestler Taigh Merola said. 

Although the team ultimately fell to a gut wrenching defeat in the Maryland 4A state championship against South River, Selby did what he needed to do. He won six points for the team by defeating his opponent by fall in just 28 seconds. 

Selby makes use of his lengthy figure when executing his signature move, the cross face cradle. He’s won most of his matches with this move as he can cradle almost anyone. 

“Jaden is so good because he has 12 years of experience. He’s quick, strong, and always knows what to do in any situation. Plus the moves he does are always unique and exciting to watch,” WCHS junior wrestler Josh Heimlich said. 

Jaden has not only created a winning environment for the bulldogs but also has developed great team chemistry with the entire squad. The members of the team have described their chemistry as extremely “tight.” 

“The team’s chemistry this year is great. We have a lot of fun at practice, in school, and at tournaments. We get along very well and some of the funniest kids in the school are on this team,” Selby said.

Although the season is over for the team, Selby still has individual tournaments to look forward to. The individual regional tournament is on Feb. 26 and 27, and the state tournament is on March 4 and 5. Selby’s own major goals are to ultimately win both of them, a feat he is extremely confident he can achieve. 

In the meantime, Selby will continue to fulfill his role as the senior captain and leader of the team as they wrap up the last week of their season. 

“Jaden is one of the team captains and always helps you out and gives great advice. I try to listen to what he tells me and implement it myself as well as become more fluid and smooth like he is,” Heimlich said.