COLUMBUS — Clyde’s Garit Witt is now just three wins away from a state title.
The Fliers’ lone representative at the state wrestling tournament in Columbus had a short day of work as he won his opening match by pin fall over Hamilton Ross’ Karson Chasteen in 2:34.
“I wrestled pretty well, I thought, for my first match at state,” the 220-pound Witt said of his performance. “I’ve got to go out and be a little more aggressive in the first period, but overall it was good.”
Clyde coach Bob Blackburn agreed with Witt.
“I love opening up with a pin,” Blackburn said. “(Garit) started out a little slow and a little tentative, but the second period you could see the attitude he usually has.”
Witt started the match a little tentative, but took a 2-0 lead when he caught Chasteen off guard with a takedown and was able to just keep his feet in bounds.
“I’m not really sure how to explain what happened early in the match,” Witt said. “I think I was just trying to get used to his style. I’d never wrestled him before, so I just wanted to see how he wrestled.”
Blackburn felt that Witt’s slow start really didn’t have much to do with nerves of wrestling on the big stage, but rather it was more Witt not wanting to make a big mistake.
“You don’t want to make any mistakes at this level,” Blackburn said. “You want to feel him out a little bit. I’d just rather seem him go out there, take him down and pin him and have it over with.”
It didn’t take long into the second period for Witt to do just that. Just 34 seconds into the second period, Witt took Chasteen down again and this time stuck him on his back for a pin.
“I was pressuring him pretty hard, and he tried to throw me,” Witt said. “I just put him to his back and pinned him.”
Witt finished third at the state tournament last year, and said he was far less nervous walking out of the tunnel into the arena than his first time.
“It felt completely different walking out this year,” he said. “I felt comfortable this year coming out. Last year when I came out of the tunnel, I started hearing things and getting all jittery. This year I was more calmed down, ready and more confident.”
Blackburn felt that were some nerves for the senior, but said it was a lot less nerve-wracking than last year.
“There’s definitely some anxiety, no doubt,” he said. “The second time is a lot different than the first time walking into the arena. From coaching over the years, that’s what the wrestlers have told me.
“I even still get uptight walking into the arena. It’s the nature of the beast. This is the show. It’s what we’ve worked for.”
Witt will face Alliance Marlington’s Ben Higgins in the quarterfinals on Friday morning. After a short day of work in the tournament’s opening day, Witt didn’t have any plans to live it up in Columbus.
“I’m going to go back to the hotel and rest,” he said.
The Division II quarterfinals are slated to begin around 10:35 a.m. on Friday.
