Whitehead first state placer for Columbiana since 1987

March 9, 2019 at 12:06a.m.

COLUMBUS

Nathan Whitehead isn’t sure he even likes wrestling, but it’s pretty clear that he’s good at it.

On Friday in the Individual State Wrestling Tournament, the 195-pounder from Columbiana became the first state placer for his school since 1987. He completed the feat with a 6-0 win against Massillion Tuslaw’s Jake Loar, who entered the tournament ranked No. 2 in the state.

It was the second time Whitehead beat him in a week, but because it happened in the consolation bracket, the whole thing is bittersweet.

“I set a goal for myself that I could attain. You have this dream [to be first] and it’s crushed,” Whitehead said. “It’s hard, but I’m happy to represent Columbiana and I’m proud of being a placer.”

Whitehead remains in contention for third place. He fell out of the champion’s bracket after getting pinned by Harrod Allen East’s Garrett Neth in the second round — a bout in which he held a 6-0 lead. It was a letdown considering the senior took the state’s No. 1-ranked Ryan Boyle of Rootstown to an ultimate tiebreaker before losing in the district finals. Boyle is wrestling for a title today.

This year is still a massive improvement over last year, when he didn’t wrestle at all.

After failing to make it out of districts his sophomore season, Whitehead quit the sport to play basketball.

“I was just done with wrestling. I wanted nothing to do with it, so I thought I’d try basketball, but I wanted to be competitive at something again,” Whitehead said. “I wanted to do something I was good at again. I saw some kids that I wrestled and I knew I could beat them.”

First-year coach Doug Velasquez said Whitehead didn’t fully commit to coming back until just before the season.

“When I first got the job in April. I talked to him and there was no way he was coming back,” Velasquez said. “Then I went back to him in October and planted the seed, gave him things to think about and he wanted to try wrestling practice. He did and he stayed.”

Whitehead will study aerospace engineering at Kent State after graduating and isn’t sure if he’ll try to wrestle in college.

“I haven’t decided if I like it enough,” Whitehead said. “I don’t know why. I can’t explain it.”