|
|
||
From the side of the mat, Buford’s Chip Ness looks like just another wrestler cheering on his teammates. When he steps on the mat, however, it is clear that Ness is one of the state’s elite wrestlers.
Even before Buford coach Rob Carlyle started as the Wolves coach this past summer, he knew Ness’s name.
“I’ve only gotten to know him this year,” Carlyle said. “But I’ve seen him from afar.
“I knew of him, especially at the Gwinnett County tournament. (Archer) didn’t have anybody that could beat him.”
Ness, who has moved up at least one weight class every season for Buford, puts in extensive work in the offseason and placed third nationally at a freestyle wrestling meet in Fargo, N.D. last summer.
“I can see he’s grown. He’s developed as a wrestler and now he’s wrestling bigger, better guys,” Carlyle said.
His work pays off each year in the state individual wrestling tournaments, and this season, the junior won his third state championship in three seasons at the 182-pound weight class last Saturday in the Class AAA tournament.
For his efforts, Ness is The Times Boys Athlete of the Week.
Ness, who finished the season 54-1, dominated every opponent he faced in the state tournament over the weekend in Macon.
“He’s just physical,” Carlyle said. “Even in his first match, he’s real physical on his feet, gets on top, and looks for a turn. He had two pins and a technical fall.”
He is clearly an all-around threat for anyone who faces him, but Carlyle said Ness’ true strength is his ability to move on his feet.
“He’s really dangerous on his feet,” Carlyle said. “He’s 182 pounds, but he wrestles like a lightweight. He can pretty much take down anybody at will.”
Once he takes down his opponent, Ness is able to control them from the top without giving them the opportunity to score.
“He uses arm-bars, the power half, I think in the finals, he pinned the guy in a cradle,” Carlyle said. “He doesn’t look like he’s very strong, but he’s able to cradle guys.”
After getting the pin-fall in the state finals, Ness celebrated for just a short period of time before changing gears and cheering for his other teammates, Jack Barber and Brayden Hartley, in their finals matches.
“After he won the state finals match, he stood on the sidelines cheering on his teammates,” Carlyle said. “I think he was more excited about their matches than his own.”
Carlyle believes this helped Ness succeed once again this season, because he has teammates that are familiar with the pressures of the state finals as well. As for his other fellow Wolves, Ness is an encouraging force in the practice room and at the side of the mat.
“He encourages them,” Carlyle said. “He pushes them to get better. He does what he’s got to do on the mat, but he’s also just a 16-year-old kid who has developed the maturity to wrestle at these higher weight classes.”
Although Carlyle said one thing Ness could improve upon is his patience in matches, he certainly has a number of talents that enable him to win almost at will, but one personal quality stands out among the rest.
“We placed fourth as a team,” Carlyle said. “He was real excited about that because it’s the highest we’ve ever placed. He was more excited about us and his teammates winning state than his own state championship. That’s one good quality about him.”
Comments