Over spring break, our outstanding high school wrestling team was busy earning significant recognitions! Junior Jacob Orsay was named Wrestler of the Year. Eric Prager, Kyle Cody, Kendall Whited, Leor Goldfarb and Carrinton Reed all make the Suburban Central First String All Conference Team. This happened under the guidance and coaching of Kevin Clawson, who was named the Wrestling Coach of the Year for his efforts. Well done, and well deserved, Kevin! See the stats here!
However, that isn’t the best part. About a month ago, Athletic Director Sweeney Labarge and received a letter from the Coach of Hannibal High School Wrestling Team. He wanted to share a situation at districts. Here is what the Hannibal coach wrote:
“During the 182 pound semi-final match, my wrestler was wrestling Leor Goldfarb. We were winning 7-0 and taking down Mr. Goldfarb when we illegally slammed him. Since we slammed him, Mr. Goldfarb could have been awarded the win, and would have automatically been a state qualifier. Instead of taking the win, Mr. Goldfarb and Coach Clawson decided to do a start stop of the match to go ahead and give my kid the win so he could advance. Both individuals were aware that they were giving up a guaranteed spot at the state tournament and that Mr. Goldfarb would have to wrestle back in order to qualify. I am not sure how many individuals and coaches would make the same decision. It takes an enormous amount of character and class to make a decision like this. Both Coach Clawson and Mr. Goldfarb demonstrated they obviously have both!
I have been coaching wrestling for 16 years now. I have seen many kids default for a lot less to guarantee themselves a win. They are both excellent representatives of your school as well as their wrestling program.” — Derek Greening
Character + Hard Work = Success Success comes in many forms.
Congratulations to Kevin and his team for their championship wrestling performance this season, but more importantly for winning with character!