Stuttgart's Kai Lewis takes down Ramstein's Isaac Martinez on his way to capturing the 157-pound title at the DODEA-Europe wrestling championships Feb. 8, 2025, in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Kai Lewis hadn’t stepped onto a practice mat at Stuttgart High School before his future teammates sought him out.

His father had reached out before the family moved to Germany in December 2024 to a wrestler’s parent, who in turn got him in contact with the Panther coaching staff.

From there, word spread to the rest of the squad that the third-place finisher at 150 pounds in Virginia last year who had qualified for the national prep tournament was coming to Swabia.

“They were very embracing. A lot of them had heard about me even before I got there,” Lewis said. “Just walking into the team, I felt very welcomed and almost like they enjoyed me being there before I even got there.”

Lewis certainly lived up to the hype.

Stars and Stripes’ 2024-2025 Boys wrestling Athlete of the Year dominated after the winter break. Lewis went 19-0 and won the 157-pound crown at the 2025 DODEA European wrestling championships on Feb. 8 at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Lewis enjoyed his time in the DODEA-Europe wrestling scene, with a vibe different from the one he experienced in the States since second grade.

“Over here, it feels almost laid back to wrestle, like you’re trying to enjoy it more than you’re trying to go out there and hurt somebody or something like that,” Lewis said. “Being able to finally enjoy, just having fun out on the mats, that’s a lot of difference in mentality and stuff over here.”

Part of the reason for the comfort was his teammates. The son of Chuck and Olivia Lewis said he has become friends with team captains, and he takes a class with Payton Kolesnikov. He even credited some of the team managers for helping him adjust to live at a new school in a new country mid-year.

Lewis may be closest to Dane Westbury. The 150-pound junior is Lewis’ practice partner, and that has extended past the season. Lewis mentioned the duo have found a mat at the Patch Barracks gym and grapple from time to time as Lewis prepares for the National High School Coaches Association Nationals on March 28-30 in Virginia Beach, Va.

“I think I’ll know something so well that I don’t even realize it, but he’s new to me so he’ll pick out those little things and he’ll attack on those little things,” Lewis said of Westbury. “That will help me realize, ‘Oh, I need to work on my hand defense in neutral or just getting wrists on bottom,’ or something like that.”

On the mats, the Fairfax, Va., native jumped out to early leads and never looked back. Rarely did matches end in anything other than a technical fall or a pin.

The 2025 European tournament MVP described how he likes to use heavy hands and his relentless nature to break down his competitors.

“I enjoy being aggressive and pushing the pace, but also, I find it works for my style,” Lewis said. “It puts me in a better position to win because most kids aren’t used to super aggressive and fast-paced wrestling, especially here. But back home, it was also how I grew up and how I was taught to wrestle.”

In the title bout, though, Ramstein’s Isaac Martinez gave Lewis issues. Martinez won the weight class at the 2024 European championship after finishing third at 144 in 2023.

Lewis credited Martinez with showing him he must work on his stamina to be able to last three full periods. The Panther sophomore had a seven-point lead early in the second period, but he couldn’t pin the Ramstein senior at 3 minutes, 39 seconds.

“After my finals match, I was somewhat gassed even from wrestling one and a half periods,” Lewis said. “(Martinez) really helped me push the pace in those matches, which is honestly fun to have over here. I like a tough match, so him pushing the pace was more enjoyable for me.”

Lewis theoretically has two more years to enjoy his time in the DODEA European scene. He isn’t setting any specific goals, deciding to stay in the present.

That present includes looking for a German club to wrestle during the offseason.

He does have one long-term goal – to wrestle for the University of Wyoming. He said he’s still got some ways to go before gaining an NCAA Division I program’s attention.

“I haven’t really thought that far ahead,” Lewis said. “Hopefully, I accomplish a lot of big things and a lot of cool things.”