In a sport where each man goes to war with his opponent, Christian Ehresmann finds peace on the wrestling mat.

The Groton senior has racked up a 25-6 record on the season, more than 200 wins in his Tiger career and faces his final Class B state tournament as one of the favorites to win the 157-pound title.

All that – the records, the expectations, the ups and downs inevitable to a career – it all fades when he steps on the mat.

“It’s peaceful,” Ehresmann said. “It’s a chance to get away from everything. It’s a place I can go and just drown everything out.”

It’s a place he’s been working towards seemingly his entire life, ever since his dad signed him up for the sport at a time he doesn’t remember.

“It started when I was 3 or 4,” he said. “My dad put me in it. I don’t remember much, but from what he tells me, I naturally had a thing for it when I was younger.”

It didn’t take long for Ehresmann to fall in love.

“I just never looked at any other sport like I did at wrestling,” he said. “No other sport caught my attention like this one did.”

Success soon followed. Ehresmann has qualified for every state tournament since he was a freshman, placing as high as second place his sophomore season.

“He just wants to be the best,” said Groton coach Darin Zoellner. “He’s dedicated his everything towards wrestling. He used to go out for summer sports and he quit all that just so he could focus on wrestling. That’s what he does all summer long is get ready for the season. It just drives him.”

While Ehresmann has also been a key part of the Groton football team in seasons past, it’s the wrestling portion of the record book on which he will leave his mark. The senior recently garnered his 200th career victory, already a Groton record. And with the postseason still to come, that mark will only move forward.

“At the time I didn’t realize I got that,” Ehresmann said of reaching the 200 wins mark, “but afterwards I just felt grateful for my coaches. My dad and my family. Mainly my dad, he does a lot to help me get there.”

Zoellner, who noted Ehresmann is “unfortunately” in his final season with the Tigers, said he and fellow senior Korbin Kuecker set the tone in the Tiger wrestling room.

“The way they practice and the way they get after it,” Zoellner said. “They’re not the loudest kids in the room by any means, but they definitely lead by example.”

Plus, the two help push each other towards even higher achievements.

“Him and Korbin are both great kids,” Zoellner said. “They’ve been my captains the last two years. I think a big part of Christian’s success is having a good practice partner. I’ve had good kids in the past and they’ve kind of been by themselves and didn’t really have anybody in the practice room they could drill hard with. Those two are very fortunate they are similar in weight and age that they’re able to go and make each other better every day.”

While wrestling is not in Ehresmann’s future plans – “I don’t think my body could handle it,” he said – he is still focused on one last postseason run using a motivation as old as time.

“Coming in as the underdog at the state level,” he said. “Never really expected to do good. … Going in there and beating someone older who’s supposed to be better than me is always been a motive I’ve had.”

But more than that, he hopes to leave a legacy in the wrestling room.

“Someone that the younger kids can look up to for help or just a person to strive to be,” he said. “I think that would be nice.”

In the meantime, he’ll find his peace, even if it’s at war on the mat.