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01-11-2007, 03:54 PM
Hard work finds Ottawa grappler at 25-1
BY ANDY TAVEGIA
MyWebTimes.com
Take a look at David Close prior to his matches. From the goofy 1980s basketball-like short shorts to the yellow and black shoes and orange head gear that tend to clash with the red and white of Ottawa's singlets, he doesn't look like your average wrestler.
That's OK. That's what he wants his opponents to think. He wants them thinking his wrestling skills are as refined as his wardrobe. He likes the role of underdog.
"It gives me a more individual sense when I'm wrestling," Close said. "They always think I'm a little weird or awkward. That gives me that advantage because they're a little bit overconfident."
Apparently it has worked. Close was a state qualifier as a sophomore and has accumulated an 89-18 mark in two-plus seasons.
"He kind of started that his first year on varsity," said his coach, Peter Marx. "At the beginning we made fun of him nonstop because he's standing up there and he looked like a dork. He's walking around with the short shorts and his jacket unzipped and his singlet straps up.
"That's just some of his characteristics. He definitely has his own look. He doesn't care what you say about it or doesn't care if you give him a hard time. He's going to have the old school look. As long as you back it up, it's OK."
Close hasn't had any problems doing that this season. Once those warmups come off and he hits the mats, those same opponents that were laughing at his wardrobe choices now are stunned to find out Close is good -- really good.
He's off to a 25-1 start, including championships at the Yorkville Wrestling Invitational and, most recently, the Lyle King Princeton Invitational. Plus, he's receiving recognition by IllinoisMatmen.com, where he's listed under honorable mention for the individual Class AA rankings at 171 pounds. That's why Close has been named this week's Prime Times Player.
But there is something else that may be even more important to Close's success than his wardrobe. Marx said Close's desire to improve and take the next step is unparalleled.
"He'll come in and bust his tail everyday," Marx said. "He'll stay late and work. When he was a sophomore, every once in a while, like we did against Sandwich, we told him to cut it and let's back on our feet. When we told him that as a sophomore you saw this look of pure fear on his face. Now, it's more like, 'all right.' He's not afraid to work where he's weakest at. And he's not really afraid of hard work at all. He's willing to come in and do the extra work to get to the level where he's at right now."
For Close, it's more a mission to prove something to himself. As a sophomore, he fell to Mount Zion's Eric Williams 11-8 in the Bloomington Sectional's third-place match. Only the top three wrestlers wrestlers to the state meet from each sectional.
However, Williams was unable to advance, meaning Close became Marx's first state qualifier at Ottawa Township High School.
"I remember exactly where I was," Close said. "I was in the hallway between the locker room and the sports medicine training room. My friend had told me. I hugged him and I was so pumped up. It was awesome."
However, despite the fact he made history by reacing Champaign as a sophomore, Close refuses to eliminate the "alternate" tag from his state run. It has only heightened his desire. Now Close wants to become a state qualifier with no questions asked, and then even more.
"Since then I've been trying to prove that I can be one of the better wrestlers in the state," Close said. "Last year I had really lousy sectionals matches. This is my last year and I'm just going to try and go all for it."
Marx said that in Close's rush to make a point, he was a bit too critical of his wrestling last year. However, as Close has matured, he's managed to find confidence in his abilities, which is something that can lead him to a special ending to a special career.
"He'd be rougher on himself than we would," Marx said. "Now he's starting to get to a point where he feels that he can be one of the best kids in the state. And he knows that when he wrestles bad, he knows pretty much what he's done wrong, which is really nice because it makes it easier to coach him.
"I think he just wants to make sure he can do it with no questions in his mind that he deserves to be down there. He's got a pretty good shot at placing down there if he continues to wrestle the way he has. It would be a great end to a great career."
ATHLETE INFO
Name: David Close
School: Ottawa Township High School
Sport: Wrestling
Year: Senior
Accomplishment: Close is off to a 25-1 start this season, including championships at the Yorkville Wrestling Invitational and Lyle King Princeton Invitational. He has recently been listed as an honorable mention in the IllinoisMatmen.com Class AA rankings at 171 pounds.
BY ANDY TAVEGIA
MyWebTimes.com
Take a look at David Close prior to his matches. From the goofy 1980s basketball-like short shorts to the yellow and black shoes and orange head gear that tend to clash with the red and white of Ottawa's singlets, he doesn't look like your average wrestler.
That's OK. That's what he wants his opponents to think. He wants them thinking his wrestling skills are as refined as his wardrobe. He likes the role of underdog.
"It gives me a more individual sense when I'm wrestling," Close said. "They always think I'm a little weird or awkward. That gives me that advantage because they're a little bit overconfident."
Apparently it has worked. Close was a state qualifier as a sophomore and has accumulated an 89-18 mark in two-plus seasons.
"He kind of started that his first year on varsity," said his coach, Peter Marx. "At the beginning we made fun of him nonstop because he's standing up there and he looked like a dork. He's walking around with the short shorts and his jacket unzipped and his singlet straps up.
"That's just some of his characteristics. He definitely has his own look. He doesn't care what you say about it or doesn't care if you give him a hard time. He's going to have the old school look. As long as you back it up, it's OK."
Close hasn't had any problems doing that this season. Once those warmups come off and he hits the mats, those same opponents that were laughing at his wardrobe choices now are stunned to find out Close is good -- really good.
He's off to a 25-1 start, including championships at the Yorkville Wrestling Invitational and, most recently, the Lyle King Princeton Invitational. Plus, he's receiving recognition by IllinoisMatmen.com, where he's listed under honorable mention for the individual Class AA rankings at 171 pounds. That's why Close has been named this week's Prime Times Player.
But there is something else that may be even more important to Close's success than his wardrobe. Marx said Close's desire to improve and take the next step is unparalleled.
"He'll come in and bust his tail everyday," Marx said. "He'll stay late and work. When he was a sophomore, every once in a while, like we did against Sandwich, we told him to cut it and let's back on our feet. When we told him that as a sophomore you saw this look of pure fear on his face. Now, it's more like, 'all right.' He's not afraid to work where he's weakest at. And he's not really afraid of hard work at all. He's willing to come in and do the extra work to get to the level where he's at right now."
For Close, it's more a mission to prove something to himself. As a sophomore, he fell to Mount Zion's Eric Williams 11-8 in the Bloomington Sectional's third-place match. Only the top three wrestlers wrestlers to the state meet from each sectional.
However, Williams was unable to advance, meaning Close became Marx's first state qualifier at Ottawa Township High School.
"I remember exactly where I was," Close said. "I was in the hallway between the locker room and the sports medicine training room. My friend had told me. I hugged him and I was so pumped up. It was awesome."
However, despite the fact he made history by reacing Champaign as a sophomore, Close refuses to eliminate the "alternate" tag from his state run. It has only heightened his desire. Now Close wants to become a state qualifier with no questions asked, and then even more.
"Since then I've been trying to prove that I can be one of the better wrestlers in the state," Close said. "Last year I had really lousy sectionals matches. This is my last year and I'm just going to try and go all for it."
Marx said that in Close's rush to make a point, he was a bit too critical of his wrestling last year. However, as Close has matured, he's managed to find confidence in his abilities, which is something that can lead him to a special ending to a special career.
"He'd be rougher on himself than we would," Marx said. "Now he's starting to get to a point where he feels that he can be one of the best kids in the state. And he knows that when he wrestles bad, he knows pretty much what he's done wrong, which is really nice because it makes it easier to coach him.
"I think he just wants to make sure he can do it with no questions in his mind that he deserves to be down there. He's got a pretty good shot at placing down there if he continues to wrestle the way he has. It would be a great end to a great career."
ATHLETE INFO
Name: David Close
School: Ottawa Township High School
Sport: Wrestling
Year: Senior
Accomplishment: Close is off to a 25-1 start this season, including championships at the Yorkville Wrestling Invitational and Lyle King Princeton Invitational. He has recently been listed as an honorable mention in the IllinoisMatmen.com Class AA rankings at 171 pounds.