PLATTEVILLE - The Matt Scott of old would have experienced a range of emotions somewhere on the scale between bitterness and anger.
Here he is, after all, enjoying a tremendous senior season for the University of Wisconsin-Platteville wrestling team, only to have a crucial portion of it ripped from him by a concussion.
"I could feel bitter, but ... ," Scott said, his voice training off. "It's just another bump in the road. I don't feel like it's anybody's fault that I got hurt. I don't feel robbed.
"If anything, it's another thing to help me mature. I think it serves a purpose."
That recently developed ability to temper what he admits could be a "reckless" personality combined with a stepped up work ethic has the Monroe High School graduate in position to put a special finish on what's already been an impressive season.
Scott has fashioned a 20-2 record at 197 pounds, and at one point cracked the Top 10 national rankings in his weight class. If healthy, he's expected to be in the mix for the title in what his coach calls a "wide open" weight class at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships Feb. 26 at UW-Whitewater.
Each WIAC champion advances to the NCAA Division III championships - Scott's goal since last February, when he finished a disappointing fourth in the WIAC and took a hard look at both his work habits and his mental approach.
Scott was right on track, too, until he couldn't free his hands to break a fall during a recent match and landed hard on his head. He hopes to be cleared to return to practice within a week, and expects to be ready for the WIAC meet.
UW-Platteville coach Chris Walter said the fact that Scott has put himself in the conversation about the nation's elite 197-pounders is a testament to two things: his sheer determination and a maturity that has grown in leaps and bounds since he arrived on campus as a gangly two-time WIAA state tournament qualifier with the Cheesemakers.
"Technique-wise, he needed some work," Walter said. "He had such a long, wiry frame when he came in. Jeepers, he was just all arms and legs."
Walter and his staff helped with the technique, but the coach said it was on Scott to fine-tune an aggressiveness that was "almost to the point of recklessness sometimes."
The mere mention of the subject brings a knowing laugh from Scott.
"Sometimes I didn't think things through before I made decisions," Scott said. "Me and coach have definitely had some conversations about that. That's basically my personality. In the weight room or anything competitive, I'm pretty aggressive."
Scott has picked his spots better when it comes to being aggressive this season. The first major sign that the senior had taken his wrestling a new level came in mid-November, when he captured the 197-pound title in the 32-team Concordia University Open - Scott's first collegiate title.
"It was huge," Scott said. "It's huge for your confidence. You come into (the tournament) and people aren't talking about you. You're just another guy. You win a huge tournament like that and it's like, 'Wow.'"
It was shortly after that when Scott moved into the No. 10 spot in the d3wrestling.com rankings - a major affirmation that all the five-mile runs and grueling core workouts he'd done over the summer were paying off. He's currently ranked in the "Contenders" group - the eight wrestlers just outside the Top 10 in each weight class.
"It was a great feeling," Scott said of cracking the Top 10 for the first time. "You look at the any one of the Top 10, and those guys have a chance to win nationals. I'm glad (his name) is still right there (near the Top 10), but it doesn't really matter right now as long as it's there in the end."
A broken collarbone during his freshman season and knee problems the last two seasons slowed Scott's rise to national prominence. But while it has taken longer than he'd hoped, the kid who finished fourth in the state at 189 pounds as a Monroe High senior said he is confident he has pushed himself very close to his full potential as an athlete.
"I'm almost there," Scott said. "You always feel you can do one better unless you're undefeated. It would be awesome just to have your name as a national qualifier. But I've still got a lot of work to do, still got to healthy."
No matter what happens in the coming weeks, Scott said the process to get to this point has been an adventure.
"There are points in your life that you have to work through," Scott said. "With my personality and the way I acted when I was younger, I've matured, and wrestling kind of guided me through it."
Here he is, after all, enjoying a tremendous senior season for the University of Wisconsin-Platteville wrestling team, only to have a crucial portion of it ripped from him by a concussion.
"I could feel bitter, but ... ," Scott said, his voice training off. "It's just another bump in the road. I don't feel like it's anybody's fault that I got hurt. I don't feel robbed.
"If anything, it's another thing to help me mature. I think it serves a purpose."
That recently developed ability to temper what he admits could be a "reckless" personality combined with a stepped up work ethic has the Monroe High School graduate in position to put a special finish on what's already been an impressive season.
Scott has fashioned a 20-2 record at 197 pounds, and at one point cracked the Top 10 national rankings in his weight class. If healthy, he's expected to be in the mix for the title in what his coach calls a "wide open" weight class at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships Feb. 26 at UW-Whitewater.
Each WIAC champion advances to the NCAA Division III championships - Scott's goal since last February, when he finished a disappointing fourth in the WIAC and took a hard look at both his work habits and his mental approach.
Scott was right on track, too, until he couldn't free his hands to break a fall during a recent match and landed hard on his head. He hopes to be cleared to return to practice within a week, and expects to be ready for the WIAC meet.
UW-Platteville coach Chris Walter said the fact that Scott has put himself in the conversation about the nation's elite 197-pounders is a testament to two things: his sheer determination and a maturity that has grown in leaps and bounds since he arrived on campus as a gangly two-time WIAA state tournament qualifier with the Cheesemakers.
"Technique-wise, he needed some work," Walter said. "He had such a long, wiry frame when he came in. Jeepers, he was just all arms and legs."
Walter and his staff helped with the technique, but the coach said it was on Scott to fine-tune an aggressiveness that was "almost to the point of recklessness sometimes."
The mere mention of the subject brings a knowing laugh from Scott.
"Sometimes I didn't think things through before I made decisions," Scott said. "Me and coach have definitely had some conversations about that. That's basically my personality. In the weight room or anything competitive, I'm pretty aggressive."
Scott has picked his spots better when it comes to being aggressive this season. The first major sign that the senior had taken his wrestling a new level came in mid-November, when he captured the 197-pound title in the 32-team Concordia University Open - Scott's first collegiate title.
"It was huge," Scott said. "It's huge for your confidence. You come into (the tournament) and people aren't talking about you. You're just another guy. You win a huge tournament like that and it's like, 'Wow.'"
It was shortly after that when Scott moved into the No. 10 spot in the d3wrestling.com rankings - a major affirmation that all the five-mile runs and grueling core workouts he'd done over the summer were paying off. He's currently ranked in the "Contenders" group - the eight wrestlers just outside the Top 10 in each weight class.
"It was a great feeling," Scott said of cracking the Top 10 for the first time. "You look at the any one of the Top 10, and those guys have a chance to win nationals. I'm glad (his name) is still right there (near the Top 10), but it doesn't really matter right now as long as it's there in the end."
A broken collarbone during his freshman season and knee problems the last two seasons slowed Scott's rise to national prominence. But while it has taken longer than he'd hoped, the kid who finished fourth in the state at 189 pounds as a Monroe High senior said he is confident he has pushed himself very close to his full potential as an athlete.
"I'm almost there," Scott said. "You always feel you can do one better unless you're undefeated. It would be awesome just to have your name as a national qualifier. But I've still got a lot of work to do, still got to healthy."
No matter what happens in the coming weeks, Scott said the process to get to this point has been an adventure.
"There are points in your life that you have to work through," Scott said. "With my personality and the way I acted when I was younger, I've matured, and wrestling kind of guided me through it."
