Backgrounds key to local wrestlers’ success

By Jim Metcalfe, The Delphos Herald
Published:  Thursday, March 1, 2007 (1 year, 4 months ago)
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All four Delphos wrestlers who are state qualifiers: Jefferson senior Andrew Swick (215) and sophomore Stuart Miller (189); and St. John’s senior Jeff Fritz (285) and freshman Brian Merschman (103); were “graduates” of the youth wrestling program.The Tri-County Wrestling Association has borne many fruits over the years.

Just look at the Delphos wrestlers participating in the Division III State Wrestling Tournament starting this afternoon.

All four of them who are definitely in: Jefferson senior Andrew Swick (215) and sophomore Stuart Miller (189); and St. John’s senior Jeff Fritz (285) and freshman Brian Merschman (103); were “graduates” of the youth wrestling program.

As well, St. John’s senior Brian Backus (an alternate at 160) also cut his teeth in the lower-level program.

“It laid a strong foundation for us all. You get exposed to a lot of different moves and styles from a young age,” Swick (50-4), who takes on 39-1 senior Nick Hooper (Akron Manchester) in today’s first round, said. “That’s really important when you’re facing someone you know nothing about. You have to be able to adjust quickly.”

He was not the only one with praise for the club.

“You can tell the good it’s done because all of us going down all wrestled in the club. It’s done a great job for us,” Fritz (39-7) noted. “You can tell the kids in high school who didn’t have a club like that; they still have to think about a move or a situation before they do it, while for us, it’s become second nature.

“When I beat Adam Salyers at district, I did a move on instinct and I can’t tell you what I did. All of a sudden, he was on his back.”

He hopes to use that instinct as he takes on Shawn Osborn (36-11), a senior from Pataskala Licking Heights.

Merschman (32-11) also hopes to use that TCWC background in his battle with Massillon Tuslaw sophomore Justin Hall (39-4) in today’s opening round.

“I have a heavyweight’s mentality as far as trying to overpower everybody,” he began. “I learned at the districts that I couldn’t do that, so I had to do something different; I had to outwrestle my opponents. I think that’s where the club helped me the most; the ability to adapt. I’ll have to do that at state, too.”

Merschman professes to be a bit on the nervous side but hopes an aggressive approach will take care of that.

“I want to make the first move,” he added. “My dad, Tom, introduced me to wrestling when I was 3 or 4 years old. When I was too old for the Tri-County Wrestling Club, he put a small mat in our garage. I don’t use it much at all but it’s there.

“I grew up with this sport.”

Still, Fritz and Backus felt it was their job to keep their teammate “humble.”

“We had to throw him around a little bit this week,” Backus joked.

Miller (49-1) also professed to being a bit nervous as well, even as he comes off a district title and drew Jesse Maloy, a West Lafayette Ridgewood junior with a 45-6 mark.

“I think it’s good for me. That way, I’m not overconfident and won’t take anyone for granted,” he explained. “I never expected to have this kind of success so early in my varsity career. I really can’t point to one area I do well at but I think I’m very patient. I like to take control early and wear down my opponent but I also can wait until my opponent makes a mistake.

“That’s probably the biggest thing I took from Tri-County.”

Swick credits his head-to-head battles during practice with Miller as another reason he has done so well this season.

“Having to go against Stuart, you need to find out different ways to get out of moves and situations. We end up doing a lot of scrambling and figuring things out on the fly,” he explained. “I think that makes us better prepared to face an opponent you don’t know anything about, like the state tournament. Plus, we push each other so hard, we tend to be in better shape than our opponents.

“I think I’m good at waiting for my opponent to make a mistake because of that conditioning, plus I can use a variety of moves.”

Fritz also assessed himself that way.

“I tend to be a defensive wrestler and wait for an opening but you have to attack at times, too. I think that’s where I’ve improved the most; I’m able to use a variety of moves and not have to depend on just one,” he offered.

Fritz might not be nervous but he isn’t calm, either.

“I’m not relaxed at all; I have the chance to accomplish my goal by getting here but I haven’t done it yet,” he added.

Backus is just hoping he gets the chance.

“As an alternate, it’s a waiting game and it’s tough. You have to work just as hard during the week as those who are definitely in but you don’t know,” he noted. “You want to wrestle. You don’t want anything bad to happen to any of the guys in front of you but you want something to keep them from wrestling.”

Jefferson assistant coach Randy McElroy unofficially summed up the whole mentality of the group from Delphos.

“We’ve spent a lot of time convincing these guys they deserve to be there. In wrestling, because you don’t have scouting or films, you can’t worry about your opponent as much as what you want to do,” he explained. “We’ve throttled down our practices the last couple of weeks. You don’t want anyone getting hurt and you’re trying to stay physically healthy.

“At this point, it’s more mental than anything. Everybody’s good physically.

Miller already made a prediction for next season, win or lose.

“I like to eat, so I won’t be at 189 next year. It’s tough for me to stay at the weight,” he added.

Zac Clum (40-5), a Spencerville junior, didn’t necessarily have the TCWC on his resume but he had wrestling in his blood as he takes on 130-pound foe Lance Foos (31-11), a senior from Tontogany Otsego.

“My dad, Spencer, wrestled. My brother, Jake, wrestled and was a 3-time state qualifier,” he noted. “Even my sister, Rachel, wrestled when she was younger. That was part of my problem: I put so much pressure on myself to follow in their footsteps, especially Jake’s.

“When I was beaten out last year in the districts and didn’t make it to state, we sat down and he told me not to worry about trying to do what he did. The only pressure anyone put on me was what I put on myself. There was still some there at district but I was able to relax in the final match when I knew I was going to go.”

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