MaxPreps Weekly Honor Roll, presented by the United States Marine Corps: Brooke Logan, Liberty

It was a defining moment that Brooke Logan remembers vividly.

She was preparing to wrestle a male opponent in a dual meet during her freshman year. She was focused on her match, but couldn't quite block out a conversation some boys were having nearby at her expense.

"They were kind of snickering and just looking at me, like ‘Ha-ha, she's probably going to lose,'" Logan recalled. "I ended up pinning the kid in the first round and then everyone's jaw dropped and everyone was cheering for me. I went from feeling really unconfident to confident and really believing in myself."

That was the switch that Logan needed to realize she could be a top-notch wrestler. Now two years later, the junior at Liberty (Peoria, Ariz.) is wrestling at an elite level for the USA Wrestling Women's UWW Cadet National Team.

Logan, 17, didn't get her start in wrestling too long ago. In sixth grade, she saw a girl competing for the local Lions Wrestling Club and she told her dad, Ryan, who is a coach, that she wanted to wrestle.

"I started picking it up pretty fast, so learning all the moves, shots, defense, throws, top and bottom position," Logan said. "I had my first tournament, the state tournament, maybe three weeks later for girls, and I ended up getting third."

Eric Brenton has been coaching Logan since her first day wrestling for the Lions Wrestling Club. He is also the varsity wrestling coach at Liberty. Brenton has watched Logan continue to improve each season on the mat.

"The progress has been drastic, a complete change," Brenton said. "Brooke just has a natural instinct for the sport. She's very athletic. She's very smart. She's very coachable. I watched her battle against boys at the time and that was the only competition we could get her was guys. She was beating a lot of these boys."

Despite being a girl in a wrestling room filled with boys, Logan fits right in with her high school teammates.

"From Day 1, there were no favors," Brenton said. "I don't care if you're a boy or a girl, you're a wrestler, and that's kind of the motto that we've always had. If you come into the room, everyone's treating you exactly the same. ... She just wants to be treated like everybody else, and I think that really has helped her grow as a wrestler and be accepted by the guys."

Last year as a sophomore, Logan was able to wrestle in five varsity matches and finished 5-0. Logan's team had an impressive season, capturing the Division II state title.

"For her to be part of that and get on the mat is big," Brenton said. "I think that put everything in perspective that she can wrestle on the next stage."

Logan is trying to earn more time on the mat this season for Liberty, but she has a state-caliber wrestler in front of her in the lineup.

Competing against males is a big challenge for Logan, but she wanted to take on fellow females at a higher level. At the end of May of this year, Logan hit the big stage and competed in the Body Bar Women's National Championships in Irving, Texas, attempting to earn a spot on the 2016-17 USA Wrestling Women's UWW Cadet Nationals Team with a top-three finish in her eight-person weight class.

Wrestling at 70 kg in Cadet Women's Freestyle, Logan won with an 8-1 decision in the third-place match.

She had qualified for the national team.

"I was so excited," Logan said. "I ran into my dad's arms after I had won my match and I cried because I was so happy. I'd never felt that kind of joy making such a big accomplishment."

Because the second-place finisher in her weight class decided not to compete in July's Pan American Cadet Championships in Lima, Peru, Logan was added as the replacement. She wrestled well in her first international competition and took home a silver medal at 70 kg.

"I was pretty happy, but at the same time I thought I could have definitely won that match," Logan said. "I was just sloppy with my technique, because I knew I could have beat her. In the last second, she got me."

Said Brenton: "Taking second in the Pan Ams – if that doesn't grow your confidence, I don't know what would."

Logan will compete in a couple camps around the United States before her next international tournament, the Klippan Lady Open in Sweden in February. After placing runner-up in Peru, Logan has her sights set on bringing home a gold medal from Sweden.

"Just working hard now in our varsity wrestling room and then going to these camps and learning as much as I can," Logan said. "I just need to give all I've got in Sweden."

Along with her endless commitment to wrestling, Logan is dedicated in the classroom. She sports a 3.9 GPA and is a member of National Honor Society. Doing well in school is something that's important to Logan, as she aspires to earn a college scholarship and wrestle at the next level.

"Academics are most important to me because I know you're supposed to have good grades and I love having all A's," Logan said. "It's just a good feeling because I know I put in all that hard work to get those grades."

Logan also takes part in Liberty's Sports Medicine Club along with Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA). Both organizations are medical related, which is an area Logan would like to pursue as a profession.

She even has a little free time to fit in some volunteer work. She helps out with a wrestling club consisting of kids ages 4 to 14 years old. Logan also referees wrestling matches during freestyle season.

All the activities are a lot for Logan to cram into a packed schedule, but she somehow makes it work.

"She's just able to handle everything, which is very impressive," Brenton said. "A lot of high school kids, they can't juggle the grades and the commitment for sports in general, and especially wrestling. With her being the level that she is, it takes a lot of sacrifice both from her parents and her."