|
|||||||||||||
Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
The Rise of Jeremy Diley
Saturday's showdown between Rappahannock County 285-pounder Jeremy Diley and Culpeper heavyweight Kris Stewardson in the finals of the 2008 Manassas Park Invitational was the ultimate David versus Goliath match-up.
Diley entered Saturday's battle with an 11-3 record after winning his first two matches on the day. But before this season, Diley had a mere six wins in his varsity wrestling career. And he hadn't wrestled anyone near the caliber of his Culpeper opponent.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the mat, Culpeper's mammoth grappler entered the match-up with a 21-4 mark and was a Northwest Region qualifier from a year ago. He had an 85-32 mark in his three years as a varsity starter.
Stewardson was the quicker, more experienced, and stronger wrestler. And he hailed from a school that was six times the size of Rappahannock County.
The two had tangled last season, with Stewardson winning by pin just seconds into the match.
Buzz began to circulate around the Manassas Park High School gymnasium that Stewardson would flatten Diley in the first 30 seconds. It'd be a miracle if the RCHS junior wrestler made it out of the first round.
Except for maybe a handful of people in the northeast corner of the bleachers, nearly everyone in the gym anticipated Stewardson throwing Diley in his trademark bear hug and slapping the RCHS wrestler to his back.
If it were a college football game, Stewardson would've been favored by 50 points.
Diley walked out onto the mat looking to prove everyone wrong.
In the first ten seconds of the match, Diley caught Stewardson off guard and took the ogre to the ground to go up 2-0. The crowd let out a huge roar as it climbed behind Rappahannock's underdog. A smirk came across Stewardson face, a sign of confidence and perhaps a little worry from the Blue Devils big man.
Stewardson tied the match at 2-2 with a reversal just before the horn sounded to end period one. In period two, Stewardson escaped to make it 3-2,. But Diley kept fighting, and the more he battled the louder the crowd cheered. Diley again out-grappled Stewardson on their feet, and recorded a takedown to make it 4-3 in his favor. An escape by Stewardson made it 4-4 with just two minutes remaining.
With the match still knotted at 4-4 in the final minute, Stewardson struggled to get free of Diley's grasp. Needing only an escape to earn victory, Stewardson broke free with 29 seconds remaining to go up 5-4. The one-point maneuver forced Diley to go for a takedown, but with 16 seconds remaining, Diley got caught and Stewardson took him to the ground to seal a 7-4 decision.
Diley had lost the lost the match, but gained the respect of wrestlers and fans throughout the complex.
"That kids tough," Stewardson said afterwards. "I've got to give him credit. He's a much better wrestler than he was a year ago."
The loss was the first in nine matches for the RCHS heavyweight.
"I've been getting more experience," Diley said. "The more you wrestle, the better you get."
The match-up with Stewarson marks one of the few times Diley has gone the distance this season. He's won eight of 11 matches by pin, and in three of his four losses, he was the victim of a pin.
"I either pin or get pinned," Diley said. "But I prefer to be the one doing the pinning."
First-year head coach Patrick Stroup wasn't sure what to expect from Diley this season. The 6-foot-1, 285-pound junior had won less than 40 percent of his matches last season. But this year –following the transfer of Connor Miller and Greg Flourney to Fauquier – Diley has emerged as the Panthers best shot at a district title.
"Everyday you can see him get better," Stroup said. "You can see the improvement in his shots and his knowledge of the sport. He's well on his way to a terrific season. Next year could be even bigger."
Diley is striving to win a district title this season, and would like to qualify for the state tournament.
"It'd be nice to win a district championship, but it isn't going to be easy," Diley said. 'There's some good wrestlers in our district. My goal is to make it to states. It would be a good year if I could do that."
However, unlike most wrestlers, Diley won't lose any sleep if he doesn't reach his goal.
"Wrestling is fun," Diley said. "If you win, then great. If you lose, you lose, there's no sense in worrying about it, because you can't do nothing about it. You've just got to pick yourself up and do better next time. All you can do is give your best. Sometimes that's enough, sometimes it isn't."
You must be logged in to post a comment.