Salem athlete earns honor

Photo

Salem sophomore wrestler John Halstead

Staff report

SALEM

Maybe John Halstead didn’t grasp the gravity of the moment.

For a 16-year-old who just lost his father, it can’t be easy.

After he, alongside his mother, Leigh, accepted an award prior to the finals of the Eastern Ohio Wrestling League tournament at Salem High’s John Cabas gym recently, they quickly turned and walked away, seemingly oblivious to the response that followed.

“ ‘John, that’s for you, son,” said Brett Powell, who was standing nearby, across from the bleachers where the crowd was giving a standing ovation. ‘That’s all for you.’ ”

Powell, Fitch High’s wrestling coach, said that Halstead and his mother may not have realized that the reaction was for them and not for Powell and three others who had received awards for their induction into the EOWL Hall of Fame just minutes before.

“I don’t think he quite knew how to take that,” Powell said of Halstead’s humble acceptance of an award that acknowledged his courage during the past year.

“That was quite an emotional moment,” Powell said. “He was kind of shocked. Those are good moments for us to see.”

Following their on-floor induction ceremony, Powell, Dustin Smith, Bobby Poweski and John Butch received applause and stepped back as Halstead and his family came forth.

“We stood back when he came up to get his award; it was lights out approval,” Powell said. “I wanted to make sure it was for them and not for our [HOF] class. We had our moment; that was all him and his mom.”

John, a Salem sophomore, accepted the Brian Davidson Courage Award for his fortitude in handling the passing of his father, Scott, who died of a brain tumor last summer at age 34. The recipient is chosen by vote of EOWL coaches.

The courage award was presented by Brian Davidson’s sister, Joan Wellendorf-Clark. Davidson, who was blind, was a wrestler at Salem in the 1970s.

Salem coach Derek Beck said he got to know Halstead as a freshman.

However, it was an inauspicious season.

“He won his first match [of the 2009-10 season], then lost every match in the first minutes from there on out,” Beck said.

However, he was a varsity starter each time by virtue of earning the position in wrestle-offs before every match.

In the first two weeks this season, Halstead was .500.

Even with an 11-20 record, it’s a turnaround.

“To go from 1 [win] to 11 in a year’s time is quite impressive,” Beck said of Halstead’s performance in the 135-140 weight classes. “Most kids would have buckled to the failure, but he stuck it out and is getting better.”

Moreover, Halstead was punctual for practices despite long walks from his home across town.

“I’m sure it was a hardship, to walk that far to school a lot of times, yet he’s always on time,” Beck said of Halstead who, many times, didn’t have rides. “Then his dad dies. Now he’s added a job this year to help pay for college.

“He’s a good kid and a good student,” Beck said of John, who lives with his mother, sister and brother, a seventh-grade wrestler.

The coach was impressed by Halstead’s mettle.

“After his dad died, the craziest thing about it was that he stayed steady. I never saw him get depressed, but he was definitely moved by the ceremony the other night. When he turned around and saw the whole place lit up, they were really touched by that.”