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Spack's goal at states: Wrestle to potential |
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Written by Dan Walk
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Thursday, 11 March 2010 |
Punxsy's Seth Spack (right) grapples with Bellefonte's Thomas Traxler during the 112-pound final at regionals last Saturday in Altoona. Spack and Traxler will begin on opposite sides of the bracket at states today in Hershey. (File photo by Dan Walk/The Punxsutawney Spirit)
HERSHEY — Much like then-sophomore Kody Young in 2009, Punxsy second-year varsity wrestler Seth Spack's No. 1 goal entering the biggest tournament of his career is wrestling up to his potential.
That tournament, which begins at 4 p.m. today, is the PIAA Class AAA Championships, where the best in Pennsylvania will compete in what is widely known as one of the toughest high school wrestling events in the nation.
Punxsy head coach Eric Eddy said that though Spack is a sophomore, he's ready for what Hershey has to offer. When Young headed down to compete in states last season, then-freshmen Spack and Neko Cappella were along for the ride. Now that he had a glimpse of the championships, it won't be as big of a surprise.
"That's one of the big things last year when Kody qualified," Eddy said. "He's been in and worked out in the arena. He'll have a little less of that shock from the big lights."
Young, a junior, may be just a grade older than Spack, but Punxsy's 112-pounder has looked up to Young much like a mentor. And even if Spack fell two wins shy of states last year, Young's experience in Hershey was vital to Spack's development this year.
"Kody's a big influence to me. I give him all the credit in the world," Spack said after winning the district title Feb. 27. "He's a great wrestler, and he just helps me and gives me a lot of support."
While the support has gone a long way, so have all the preparations in the practice room. Spack's ability has only grown over the years due to constantly training with the likes of Cappella and Young, who wrestled at 125 and 130 pounds, respectively, this season.
"To have those guys in the room to train with, that's just another thing right there," Eddy said. "Those guys are just making each other better. You very seldom see a guy that's successful without training partners that are at least a little successful."
With the best 16 grapplers in the state — Spack included — ready to wrestle today, it's hard to expect a good draw. But according to Eddy, Spack received one.
Not only did Spack avoid a regional champion in his first bout of the tournament, but he'll be wrestling someone his age — Bethlehem Liberty sophomore Devon Litito (24-6), who finished second in the Northeast Region. Spack's ultimate goal, which is winning a medal, will only become easier to reach if he gets past Litito.
After that, Spack is expected to drop to the consolation bracket, considering his second bout is against Derry sophomore Jimmy Gulibon, who has lost just once this year after winning the state title last season as a freshman.
"(Litito) is a guy kind of like Seth — an unknown commodity. You want to come out and get your feet wet first," Eddy said. "If we can get past his first guy before we have to wrestle Gulibon, that would be great."
From there, Spack may have to fight through the consolation bracket in order to medal. But Eddy feels as if Spack isn't the kind of wrestler who will let a loss take him out of the game mentally.
"You see a lot of good guys drop (to the consolation bracket) that first day. They get stunned in their first match, and they don't recover," Eddy said. "Seth is going to wrestle up to his ability whether he wins or loses. He's going to give everything he has."
And even if he doesn't medal or even win a match, it's all about what Spack does during the two-plus bouts in which he will be on the mat.
"Ultimately, we want to get wins and a medal, but you can't control those things," Eddy said. "The only thing you can control is how well you perform. If you do that, you have nothing to feel bad about."
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Last Updated ( Friday, 12 March 2010 )
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