Published: April 08, 2006 09:27 pm            

All-Area Wrestling Team: Mind over matter on the matt

Merle Bolton isn’t one to waste time.

Although he started wrestling just three years ago, he has busily stacked up accolades in his first two seasons at Northwest Whitfield.

Bolton followed up a stellar freshman campaign that included an Area 7-4A title with a sophomore season defined by a newfound confidence to match continued improvement in his technique, strength and fitness.

With a 57-7 record, Bolton won more matches than any other area wrestler. He also won the Brett Warren Invitational, was sixth at the McCallie Invitational, second at the Murray Invitational, repeated at area — this time winning in the 112-pound weight class — and finished third at the Class 4A State Tournament.

For his performance this season, he is The Daily Citizen’s 2005-06 Wrestler of the Year.

Yet more than any of his tournament finishes or a single victory, Bolton’s season was defined by his belief that he could — and should — win every time he took the mat.

“I used to be real nervous and kind of thought of all the bad things that could happen in a match,” Bolton said. “This year, I thought of all the great things that could happen, what I could do.”

He even took it upon himself to mentally prepare for each bout by visualizing his opponent and thinking about how the match might unfold.

The proof was readily apparent in his demeanor before this year’s area finals. As a freshman, Bolton looked as if he might have crossed paths with a ghost somewhere near the bleachers in Southeast’s gymnasium. This season, he was relaxed, chatting with other wrestlers and giving the general impression that this was just another match for him.

And when he found himself unexpectedly caught on his back against Ringgold’s Zach Hopkins — with whom he had split the previous two meetings — instead of panicking, Bolton found a way to fight through, then came back to win the match 8-7 after falling behind 7-5 in the second period.

Bolton called that match the highlight of his season.

He was determined to make this year special, even asking Northwest coaches what it would take for him to win a state title — a goal he fell short of but is still reaching for.

“He did the things we asked him to do,” Bruins coach Allen Tucker said. “At the beginning of the year, we told him he had to have better shot defense. We told him it was better to score first and defend people’s shots. He did what we asked, because he’s very coachable. When we’re in the wrestling building, he does what we ask.

“Merle’s a little special because he’s only been wrestling three years, so he’s had to make up a lot of time, but he does it by working hard. He does what he’s supposed to do and he loves the sport. He’s kind of tailor-made for wrestling.”

He’s also been a tailor-made leader.

Bolton expects everyone on the team to put forth their best effort, Tucker said, and is eager to help them find a way to do that. If he’s drilling with someone and they make a mistake, Bolton will stop to help them correct it.

“He’s done a great job,” Tucker said of Bolton’s leadership. “The other kids, they love to watch him wrestle, and he has that confidence that a lot of them wish they had.”

Luckily for Tucker and the rest of the Bruins, Bolton has two more years to encourage others while adding to a bag of tricks that’s quickly filling up. He improved on his feet, from bottom and from top this season and seems to gain something else every time he wrestles, Tucker said.

“Some people just have that natural instinct,” Tucker said. “He just kind of figures things out. Sometimes you don’t have to coach him or tell him. He just sees it.”

And Bolton is already visualizing again, looking for ways to improve this summer and be ready when the season rolls back around.

That’s good news for the Bruins — but not for anyone standing in the path of Bolton and a state title.

“My thing next year is to stay kind of consistent on wins, another area title definitely, and I’ll be pushing myself a lot harder this summer and during practice to win state,” Bolton said. “That’s my big goal. I want to win it more than anything next year.”



Although area schools failed to produce a state champion for the first time since 2000, talent and accomplishments certainly weren’t lacking this season. Here’s a look at the rest of The Daily Citizen’s 2005-06 All-Area Wrestling team:



n 103: Jordan White, Dalton: Only a freshman, White started his career with the Catamounts on the right foot as the team’s most consistent wrestler and finished the season on an upswing. He went 27-6, placed third at the area tourney — where his only loss came to eventual champion Michael Temple of Ringgold — and won two matches at the state tournament to cap the year.



n 119: Cody Adams, Murray: A sophomore, Adams is on the All-Area team for the second straight season. He went 27-16, with 20 of those victories coming by pin, and finished second at Ooltewah’s tournament before placing fourth in the area to qualify for state for the second time.



n 125: Marcus Favors, Murray: Favors went 21-13 and held his own by beating his counterparts in the lineups of the Indians’ closest rivals. Although he failed to make weight for the second day of the area tourney, that shouldn’t diminish his senior season accomplishments — Favors won two matches at area to advance to the semifinals, which means he was at least among the top six in his weight class.



n 130: Keith Bennett, Murray: A sophomore, Bennett went 25-18, recorded an impressive 20 pins, was third at the Brett Warren Invitational and placed fourth at the Murray Invitational. He finished sixth at the area tournament to close out his season.



n 135: Nolan Smith, Southeast: As one of the most consistent wrestlers in the Raiders’ lineup, Smith piled up a 48-8 record — the second-most wins on the team — was second at the Brett Warren Invitational and finished fourth at area to qualify for state again. After earning honorable mention the past two seasons, this is Smith’s first appearance on the All-Area team.



n 140: Jonathan Smith, Murray: One of just three local wrestlers to advance to area finals, Smith finished second in his weight class to qualify for state. He also placed second at the Indians’ home tourney, finished with a 30-14 mark and recorded 20 pins.



n 145: Isaac Carreon, Southeast: This is the second All-Area selection for Carreon, a sophomore. He finished 37-10 — the second straight season he has won that many matches — was fourth at the Brett Warren Invitational and fifth in his weight class at the area tourney.



n 152: Mark Feeley, Murray: A senior, Feeley “exceeded everyone’s expectations except his own” this season, according to Indians coach Chris Thornbury. He certainly made his final area tourney appearance memorable — when he advanced to the finals, it was the first time he’d done so in any tourney. He took advantage, scoring a last-second takedown against Paulding County’s Randy Poole for the title, then finished third in his first-ever appearance at state. He also placed third at three other tourneys — Murray, Ooltewah and Brett Warren — while compiling a 42-11 record. He is the only wrestler on this year’s All-Area team making a third straight appearance.



n 160: Cody Queen, Southeast: Another sophomore making his second All-Area appearance, Queen adjusted to a huge bump in weight classes. After winning 39 matches as a freshman in the 130-pound class, he finished 46-6, was second at the Brett Warren Invitational and fifth at area this year.



n 171: Zach Baggett, Murray: Despite competing in a very tough weight class — all four of Area 7-4A’s qualifiers placed at the state tourney — Baggett, a sophomore, more than held his own. He had 23 pins in a 32-15 season, finished fifth at state, third at area, third at the Brett Warren Invitational, second at the Murray Invitational and first at Ooltewah — a stellar resume for an underclassman from whom it’s not unreasonable to expect even bigger things in the future.



n 189: Allen Jackson, Southeast: A senior who has signed a college football scholarship with Carson-Newman, Jackson showed a penchant for the quick pin while compiling a 53-6 record, which included a third-place finish at area and a title at the Brett Warren Invitational. Yet his most impressive feat was one of patience and persistence. After losing his first-round match at the state tourney to eventual champion Brent Ducote of Marist, Jackson won seven straight matches to make his way back to the consolation finals and a third-place finish.



n 215: Blake Palmer, Murray: Palmer needed almost half of his senior season to drop into his desired weight class, but he was ready to go when he got there — he was fourth at the Murray Invitational in his first weekend of wrestling and fourth at area to qualify for state. He went 15-7, with more than half of his losses coming in the postseason tourneys. This is his second straight All-Area appearance.



n 275: Ryan Newton, Murray: A junior who is making his first appearance on the team, Newton won 21 matches by pin while compiling a 33-9 record. He was third at area, following up a title at the Brett Warren Invitational, a second-place finish at the Ooltewah Invitational and a fifth-place finish at the prestigious McCallie tourney.



Honorable Mention

Dalton: Luis Barajas (119), Tyler Maney (140); Murray: David Miles (103); Northwest: Rafael Romero (125), Steven Walkey (152), Trey Selby (215); Southeast: Randy York (103); Charles Napier (112); Blake Thomas (171)

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.