Rosewood eager to achieve more on wrestling mat this season

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on November 28, 2014 1:51 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Medals draped around their necks, Rosewood's state placers felt disatisfied once they stepped from the podium in Greensboro last season.

Actually, they felt empty.

And more hungry.

Each entered the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A wrestling championships with visions of grandeur, hoping to emerge as the next state champ in program history.

"The whole state thing was mental for me because I felt like I had the physical ability, but was nervous," said Rosewood's Josh Drew, who finished state runner-up at 170 pounds.

"It's kind of a humbling thing that makes you work harder. You were pretty close to getting your goal, but you didn't. Once you get a taste of everything, you want to work harder to get it."

The work started the next week.

Drew, Rayquon Jones and Kaleb Taylor organized the Eagle Wrestling Club. The group rolled around the mats with other county wrestlers in the offseason, attended summer camp at N.C. State and competed in a highly-regarded individual tournament at tradition-rich St. Stephen's High School.

Their desire and dedication inspired head coach Bill Edmundson.

He immediately composed a stronger schedule, and loaded it with difficult and challenging tournaments -- the "Feud in the Forest" at Pine Forest, Holly Springs, the prestigious WRAL Invitational and the Havelock duals. The Eagles' battles with 1-A teams are confined to the Carolina/Coastal 10/Two Rivers Conference.

The schedule upgrade serves another purpose, too.

Rosewood has lost in the NCHSAA dual-team eastern regional final each of the past two seasons.

"(Better) competition and getting a little more prepared," Edmundson said of his handiwork. "We did a lot towards scheduling harder teams ... nothing like it's been in the past. You won't even recognize the Eagle Invitational (lineup) this year.

"I'm expecting, even though we've got one of the best teams we've ever had, that we probably will not have one of the best (dual-team) records we've ever had."

That's fine with Drew, Jones and Taylor -- who are joined by six additional state qualifiers and 10 returning starters. They've embraced Edmundson's challenge and are eager to erase the bitterness they've tasted in individual and dual-team action over the past two seasons.

Jones' offseason included weight lifting, running and exercise -- 10 push-ups every time a commercial came on TV. Drew worked on his mental game on the mat. Taylor drilled with some of the state's top grapplers, improved his technique, changed his eating habits and dropped 15 pounds.

Taylor doesn't want a repeat of last season.

He remembers taking a sloppy shot in the third period and getting pinned by Trask's Jervon Faison with 1 second remaining in their heavyweight championship.

"Had I been in better shape..." Taylor said as his voice faded.

Edmundson expects Jones, Drew and Taylor to lead a physical team on the mat this season. He doesn't anticipate seeing his grapplers wilt late in the third period, but have the endurance to push through the final whistle.

With 13 experienced starters in the lineup and the capability to match up with just about any team, Edmundson -- and Drew -- think the sky is the limit this winter.

"We weren't as experienced as we needed to be in a lot of the weight classes (last year)," said Drew, who won the 180-pound title at the Feud in the Forest this past weekend.

"This is a good pinnacle point (this year) because we have experience in a lot of the weight classes. Everybody's goal is to get to the state (dual-team) championship, but it's a matter of putting in the work and having the will to work."

And remembering that gut-wrenching feeling of reading "second place" on a medal hanging around your neck.