Hubbard’s Lias waits, waits and waits, then wins on pin

The patient and top-seeded junior wrestler advanced to today’s semifinals.

By ERIC HAMILTON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

BELOIT — The first day of the Division II wrestling sectional tournament got off to a disappointing start for Hubbard’s Robbie Lias.

But by the end of the night, things were looking up.

The junior was originally slated to wrestle a first-round match in the 189-pound bracket at the West Branch sectional.

He got warmed up, got mentally prepared and was all set. But there was one problem — he had no opponent.

So, he waited. And waited. And waited.

When it was finally his turn to wrestle, the match didn’t take long. He pinned Marlington’s Jeff Lewis in 2 minutes, 17 seconds and was finished for the night — even before he got started.

“I was pretty disappointed because I was all pumped up to wrestle that first match, but then the kid pulled out of the tournament,” Lias said. “So I just had to wait longer to wrestle. I guess I just tried to tell myself that I had to go twice as hard in that one match to make up for not wrestling in the first round.”

With that victory, the top-seeded Lias advanced to today’s semifinals where he’ll face Liberty’s Quincy Harris.

The other two semifinalists at 189 are West Branch’s Jeremiah James and Southeast’s Jesse Fetty.

If Lias can win just one match on Saturday, he’ll punch his ticket to the district tournament for the second straight season. And this time if he gets to Firestone, he’s hoping to finish at least one place higher than last year.

Lias took fifth at 189 pounds in 2007, missing out on a state tournament berth by one place. While he was honored to be a state alternate, he’s ready to take the next step.

“All that’s been on my mind is making it to state,” said Lias, who started the season wrestling at 215 pounds before moving down. “I have sectionals and districts to worry about first, but I’m excited to maybe see what it’s like at state.

“It will be a tough district, but my coaches have me in the mindset that no one can beat me. They have really helped me become more of an offensive wrestler, instead of defensive like last year. They really push us hard in practice and at first it was an adjustment, but they’ve really made me better.”

First-year Hubbard coach Scott Thompson took over the program this season after coaching at Brookfield in 2007.

Coming in, he knew the Eagles had some talent, led by Lias, and says that the team’s attitude has changed for the better in 2008.

“This Hubbard team isn’t the same as last year’s,” Thompson said. “These kids are hard-nosed and t

ough now. We work them hard in practice and all of them have responded.

“We knew Robbie had a lot of talent and I brought in two coaches just for him this year. There’s no question he has the potential to make it to state and be competitive. He is one of Hubbard’s most underrated wrestlers and we’re trying to make him shine.”

Lias placed a disappointing fourth at the EOWL tournament two weeks ago, but Thompson says that showing wasn’t a true indicator of how well he can perform.

“He was beat up a little bit because that was the third of three straight very tough tournaments for us,” Thompson said.

“He didn’t wrestle the way we know he can. But he’s had a break and has rested up, and now he’s starting to peak at just the right time. Our whole team is right now.”