CASSOPOLIS — Good memories from high school sports can stay with an athlete forever, but for Zach Stratton, a former Cassopolis High School athlete from 1996 to 2000, a loss is his most vivid memory.

“Losing in the state finals 2-1 in wrestling, that was kind of hard,” Stratton said. “Nothing too crazy besides that.”

He has a favorite memory too, only in another sport, when Cassopolis made it to the state playoffs in football and even though they lost, the feeling was still amazing, Stratton said.

Growing up, Stratton started wrestling when he was just three years old. His father, now athletic director at Brandywine, was a wrestling and football coach in Indiana before becoming athletic director in Cassopolis when Zach and his twin sister Cassie, were in school. So both sports felt natural to him.

In high school, Stratton competed in other sports too as he found time to play golf and also compete in track. 

Stratton went on to play collegiate football at Hillsdale College for two years and ended up transferring to Grand Valley State.

For Stratton pursuing college athletics was not a difficult choice, but deciding to play either football or wrestle was when the decision got tough. Ultimately, Stratton chose to pursue football because he was tired of cutting weight, he said.

Although high school athletics offered useful life lessons and memories for Stratton, he said he does not miss high school and noticed many differences in athletics at the college level. Stratton maintained a strict schedule as an athlete.

“College is more like a job because you are watching hours and hours of film,” Stratton said. “In high school, you are practicing three to four days before you start the season. Then you go to college and you start actual school. Then right after school, you have practice, then you go back to school and then you’re right back at it watching film.”

After college, Stratton joined the military and spent 12 years moving from place to place. He spent time in California, Washington and then ended up in Ohio, where he remains today with his family in Columbus. Stratton ended up going back to school and earning a bachelor’s degree in information security and now works as a plumber.

His advice to current high school athletes is simple: to pick up a book and study.

“Study harder in school,” he said. “Do better in your school things than you are in your athletics.”

Stratton also encouraged athletes who are looking to pursue post-high school athletic careers to prepare like they are already a college-level athlete.

“Find people that are already in college and find out how they work out and are doing different things,” he said.

With social media, Stratton stays in touch with his former head coaches and high school buddies. While in College, Stratton’s rigorous training schedule did not allow him to come back to Cassopolis as much as he would have liked, he said.

“Most of the time while I was in college, if we had a home game, I would try to come back home for a couple of games a year,” Stratton said. “If we were away, then we were already on the bus and so it proved to be a little difficult.”

Now, Stratton sticks to running to stay in shape. He’s used to running because of his past in the military. Before he had his daughters, he played slow-pitch softball for a couple of years to still experience a team atmosphere.

Stratton said he noticed a lot of similarities between banter in the high school football locker room and the motivational talk he would use with his friends in the military.

“That’s what I miss,” he said. “That’s the fun part.”