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IAN SHARP WEST BRANCH, WRESTLING
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Ian Sharp’s 285-pound state title brought him relief, but not satisfaction.
The West Branch senior dominated the state tournament, giving up zero points on his way to the championship.
“It wasn’t the feeling I thought it would be,” Sharp said. “As soon as I did it, I wasn’t that proud. I was asking myself, ‘Why couldn’t I have done it in the past three years?’”
Sharp was ranked No. 1 in the state for the past two seasons. In his junior year, he tore his ACL. Despite the injury, he kept his lofty ranking and pinned every opponent he faced in districts. Sharp was a heavy favorite to win the state title in 2016, but New Lexington’s Matt Adams defeated him and Sharp failed to place.
“I saw [Adams] at the finals this year,” Sharp said. “I thought it was an omen at first.”
Sharp’s father, Rodger, texted him a picture of Adams every day as motivation. He carries that loss to this day.
“You try to forget your losses and it never happens,” Sharp said. “In my life, I think I’ll forget what it felt like to win a state championship, but I will never forget what it felt like to lose to Matt Adams.”
Wrestling lacks what Sharp calls the “chaos” of football, the sport he’ll play in college for Wayne State. He had offers to wrestle collegiality, but he said his 6-foot-6, 285-pound frame won’t give him the same advantage it did in high school. He’ll study mechanical engineering.
Sharp had quite a name to live up to. Rodger was a state placer and his uncle Nathon has two state titles. Ian’s brothers, Connor and Logan, placed at state. Ian did not want to be the only member of his family not to place.
“At the beginning of the season, people would talk about state and I would cringe,” Sharp said. “It was such a relief when I won it. All the pressure had been on me for so long.”