LJ Araujo ND: Wrestling Is All on You
by Bill X. Barron

“You just learn to be a good person and that is a lasting life quality. Wrestling teaches values, not about winning or losing but about improving,” cites North Dakota five-time state champ LJ Araujo. 

“Wrestling is all on you. You can't blame anybody else. We all have more to learn. You must accept responsibility and correct your mistakes.”

As LJ’s father, Leandro, recalls, we first met at the RMN Wild West Championship in 2016. In Wyoming, 11-year-old LJ was in the finals against Josh Niewert from Washington. 

“He is a big-time wrestler now and not so easy an opponent then; therefore, we requested that the head official referee the match. LJ won and never forgot that moment,” cites Leandro.

Eight years later, at RMN’s Monster Match in Denver, coaching LJ’s younger siblings Julia 15U and Arthur 12U, Leandro filled me in on LJ’s career trajectory since that time. 

LJ is not the only accomplished wrestler in the Araujo household. Sophomore Julia is already a three-time high school girls’ state champion with a goal to best his total as owner of the most state titles. 

As a 7th grader in 2022, Julia joined her brother LJ on top of the podium, becoming the first joint brother-sister champions in state history. In 2023, competing in the 14U 127 lb. class at the USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals, Julia went 8-0 to earn gold. 

LJ is now a five-time North Dakota state high school champion from 2020-24 for Bismarck at 106, 126, 145, 160, and 172, LJ earned a scholarship to Nebraska. LJ joins Scott Glasser from 2002-06 as Bismark’s two five-timers. Glasser went on to win 101 matches at the University of Minnesota.

A dual citizen of the United States and Brazil, LJ qualified for the 2024 Brazilian national team and represented them in the UWW World Championships in Spain. After winning the U20 qualifier in Brazil, he competed for his father’s home country at 79 kg. 

The bronze medal he earned was the first by a Brazilian male wrestler. He plans not to be their last placer, returning to “harvest more Brazilians for the senior team.”

Coached by Bismark High’s legendary Jeff Schumacher, LJ has flourished under a system that values integrity, character, and family. It is a close-knit community where the national-caliber Matpac Wrestling Club focuses on cultivating local wrestlers, unlike others that recruit outsiders.

Schumacher was acclaimed as the NHSCA National Coach of the Year for 2024. His system embraces the art of personal connection, believing that each individual needs to be heard. He talks with every wrestler in practice daily, asking what the coaches can do better.

Though he defers credit, preferring to recognize his coaches and team leaders, Bismark has been undisputedly dominant since Jeff began coaching the Demons in 1997. 

Winners of the last seven state team titles, Bismark High boys have won 18 individual and 19 team state championships. The Demon girls' team was also the state team champion in 2024.

On the national level, LJ is a two-time Fargo Greco All-American, 2023 USA folkstyle national champion, and a two-time placer at Virginia Beach, winning first place as a freshman and also making the finals as a junior where he was a national runner-up. 

LJ believes that folkstyle is still his best chance for success at a higher level because of his top moves, but “I’ve improved a lot on my feet through training in freestyle and Greco.”

Chad Renner, an All-American at Oregon State and a 1991 Bismark High state champ at 160, has been LJ’s primary Matpac club coach for national tournaments in all three styles. 

“Chad got me where I am,” proclaims LJ. “He helped me a ton. When I was younger, he wouldn't have me wrestle in the summers because he wanted me not to get burnt out. Because of his influence I love the sport as I do now.”

LJ is psyched to see what he can do as a Husker. “We have a great wrestling team with many good practice partners. The culture for wrestling in Nebraska is outstanding. There are tons of fans, especially for our dual meets, who take enormous pride in being part of the Nebraska tradition.”

Currently competing at 174 lbs., LJ plans to add muscle to compete at that weight and higher, as the college style is “intense. Guys are much stronger. Everyone is in great shape and knows how to wrestle.” 

“Redshirting allows me to experience college, which is vastly different from high school. More is expected of you in academics and athletics.”

“I’m learning to move my feet more and keep the focus on earning points. Sometimes those matches come down to one move.” 

Apart from training year-round, LJ makes time to teach kids and referee weekend tournaments. “I think the hardest age to ref is 6-and-under; they are simply crazy. They take an opponent to the mat but don’t hold him long enough for control.”

For LJ, RMN tournaments are “beneficial for younger kids because they are national-level tournaments. While it's not as challenging as the NCAA tournament, as in college the styles are so different from state to state that you must adjust to succeed against really good competition.

“It was best for me to grow up through those tournaments. I experienced highs as well as lows at Monster Match or Wild West, where I took losses to opponents who are now good friends or teammates. 

“If you want to win at the next level, you simply have to work harder,” LJ expounds. “My parents taught me to always work hard, but wrestling really enforces that. Just knowing how to work for my best has made an enormous impact on me.

“Now, I don't think everybody can wrestle, but I encourage everybody to try; you might end up liking it. Either you love it, or you don’t. 

“It has the potential to be a most rewarding sport, one that can change your life, not due to fame or awards, but because you learn values that those who don’t wrestle ever learn.”