Demaceo Whittier
OUTSTANDING PLAYER: BOYS WRESTLING ......
Showing persistence is key to success: Searcy High School senior Demaceo Whittier has worked to outperform himself in wrestling year after year, ending his high school career with an undefeated season, a state championship and the title of All-Arkansas Preps Outstanding Player of the Year for Boys Wrestling. “I feel amazingly cool about it,” Whittier said. “I’ve dreamed about it before, but I hadn’t been able to do it until this year. Receiving the award was a great honor.” Jerry Evans, head wrestling coach at Searcy High School, asked Whittier to try out after a football practice his freshman year. Both he and his mother were skeptical, having only seen wrestling on television, but after learning more about the sport and trying out, Whittier said, he enjoyed the activity and worked to improve his skills. He earned a 35-14 record his freshman year and a 52-5 record his sophomore year. His junior year, he injured his knee playing football and had to have surgery. He missed most of the wrestling season while recovering, but after completing physical therapy twice a week, he was able to rejoin the team just before the state championships, where he won second place, earning a 13-1 record that season. His final season with the Lions, he racked up a 53-0 record and emerged as state heavyweight champion. “I am so happy for Demaceo,” Evans said. “He is just the kind of kid you can’t help but love. He has put in a lot of work over the past few years and has overcome a lot to be successful.” Whittier’s mother, Patricia Landon, said she is proud of her son’s dedication to the sport. “He’s an excellent team player, and he listens to his coach. He attends all the practices, and he also goes to the gym in his time off,” she said. “He goes all the way out for it, and I like the attention he puts into it.” This fall, Whittier will continue wrestling at Williams Baptist University in Walnut Ridge, which he said he chose for its small size and excellent wrestling program. He will study criminal justice in hopes of becoming a detective, a dream he’s had since he was 3 years old.