|
|
PA Profile of Zach Kemmerer
By Todd Irwin,
Pennsylvania Wrestling Newsmagazine, January 2007
Most wrestlers with the ability to win a state do
everything they can to get to the top of the medals stand by going to summer
tournaments, going to clinics, lifting weights and running.
Once underclassmen win a state title, however, they
become marked men. Those others with the ability to reach that top step target
the golden boy at the weight.
Whoever's wrestling the state champion in a tournament
becomes the fan favorite because they're the underdog. Fans of the golden boy
expect them to win every time.
Sound like a lot of pressure? Welcome to Zack
Kemmerer's world.
Last year, the Upper Perkiomen wrestler won titles at
the Ironman Invitational and the Beast of the East, claimed the 135-pound Class
AAA title and finished the season with an amazing 54-0 record.
Kemmerer came into the 2006-2007 season ranked No. 1 in the nation at 140 by
most national ranking publications. But wrestling one of the toughest schedules
in the state, he has showed that he's human.
He finished fifth at the Beast and third at the Ironman (losing on a defensive
pin) before recently winning a title at the Reno Tournament of Champions.
Kemmerer, ranked sixth in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News and by W.I.N.
Magazine in early January, has felt the pressure to perform along the way.
"It's been rough," said Kemmerer, who was 26-5 as of
Jan. 12. "At Ironman, I got caught. The Beast was probably my worst performance.
I wrestled my best at Reno. It's rough with all the pressure.
"Instead of going out and wrestling like I can, I was
thinking 'What happens if I lose? What happens to the rankings?' It really gets
in the way. It's definitely my first time experiencing that. It was just a
learning experience."
An intelligent young man with a 3.957 grade point
average who will major in biochemistry at the University of Pennsylvania,
Kemmerer says he's considering seeking help to handle the pressure.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing a sports
psychologist," he said. "Here are all these big names seeing them. Everyone in
college does. I'm curious to see what somebody would do for me. I'm doing better
with the pressure. I want to do it for myself and not for everyone else."
He tries to relax off the mat, which he is on even
during the summer. He's cutting about 18 or 19 pounds this season, but he likes
to "hit the buffet" when he can.
Upper Perk fans have had high expectations for Kemmerer
for most of his career, but he wasn't an immediate success when his dad, David,
got him into the sport at 5 years old. Zack weighed 12 pounds at birth and was a
little "hefty" when he was younger.
But by the time was 9 and 10, he was winning Eastern
Nationals. By eighth grade, he was dreaming of being a four-time state champion.
Kemmerer did win the first of his three District 1 titles as a freshman
112-pounder, finished second in the Southeast Regional and placed fifth at the
PIAA Championships.
"We had heard that he was coming in with high
expecations," Upper Perk coach Tom Hontz said.
"Winning state championship last year took a huge
monkey off of his back. People had been talking about him winning a title since
his freshman year."
Kemmerer won a Southeast title the next season, but he
placed fifth again in Hershey, losing to Connellsville's eventual champion
Ashtin Primus, 3-0, and Shaler's eventual third-placer Nick Nelson, 3-2.
Last season, Kemmerer survived a tough road to a title in Hershey by by beating
the eventual third and fourth-placer, Bald Eagle Area's Grant Paswall and Kiski
Area's Tyler Oravec, in the first three rounds before beating Spring-Ford's Matt
Moley, 2-1, in the overtime tiebreaker in a Southeast Regional rematch.
"Looking back, I can say I was on fire," Kemmerer said.
"The best feeling was winning the state title. Doing it in front of all the
people I know was unbelievable. Last year was so much fun. Coming in this year
was more of a job. I'm getting back to having fun."
Soon if he stays healthy, Kemmerer, who has an
aggressive style, especially on his feet, will become the state's all-time wins
leader and set the beam very high.
As of Jan. 12 he had a career record of 173-18 (73 by
fall) after going 42-8 his freshman year, 50-5 as a sophomore. Mount Pleasant's
Donnie Ament and Primus set the mark at 179 at last year's state tournament.
"That's awesome that I'll be do something like that,"
Kemmerer said. "It shows I've been consistent with a tough schedule, but it's
still just a number. I'd rather have the hardware."
To wrestle the schedule that Upper Perk, which won the
PIAA Team Duals last season, you better be ready to go through a meatgrinder.
"There's two sides to it," Kemmerer said. "You can say
'Wow, this is tough. Why am I putting myself through it.' But it gets you
prepared. It was ridiculous how hard that (tournament stretch) was. The whole
team was dead by the end of it.
"Coming home and wrestling is like a cakewalk. In our
little league, we're a nine-time Pac 10 champ. Some people in the community and
on the team are getting scared, but we've wrestled the best in the country.
These guys are in our back yards. They're not the best."
Kemmerer can boast like that not only because he's won so much, but also because
he's the captain.
"I've always looked to take that role," he said. "I
care a lot about it, and my credentials fit the role. I think it's cool leading
the younger guys in the right direction. They respect and listen to what I have
to say. I sort of take it on myself to get them fired up."
They will be fired up should he take care of the
pressure and win a second state title.
"He's disappointed with the losses," Hontz said, "but
his goal is to win a second one. In all honesty, he's capable of beating
anybody."
The above profile was printed in the January 2007 issue of PWN.
|
