Multiple sports have been a part of Sophomore Dayton Furuta’s life since age four. He strives to maintain his school work while balancing Varsity football, heading straight into JV basketball, then wrestling and judo soon after.

“We finish school at 2:00 p.m., wrestling starts at 3:00 p.m. and ends around 5:30 p.m., then I do homework between (practices), basketball starts at 6:30 p.m. and ends around 8:00 p.m.,” stated Furuta. Although this is only Furuta’s first year competing in wrestling, he has proven to be an instrumental tool to the team’s success both on and off the mat.

“He practices with intensity which is a good example for others to follow, and sometimes he’s helping his teammates learn how to (correctly) execute a move,” explained wrestling Head Coach Sam Lee.

Along with setting a good example for his teammates, Furuta picks up on tactics swiftly and implements them in competitions. “He’s very coachable, he’s quick to learn so he has the ability to grasp the ideas (which) makes him very easy to work with,” said Lee. “We expect the wrestlers to win and that’s what he does, he wins,” added Senior wrestling teammate Jeffrey Sanchez.

With the many sports Furuta plays, he hopes to be recognized as a state champion for Wrestling and Judo within his next two years at MHS. “I just hope to see him called a champion whether it’s at the West division, the OIA division or at the state level. He definitely has the potential, he’s very coachable and so there is a lot of upsides to it,” said Lee.

Throughout his athletic career, in whatever sport he’s playing, Furuta has always had support from his family. “My family is there to push me to my limits and to help me to put in the extra work. They always say ‘Ability is what you’re capable of, motivation determines what you do, and attitude determines how well you do it.’ That’s what we live by, that’s what (I) live by,” said Furuta.

With hard work, diligence and dedication, Furuta strives to perform his best in all his sports.