Perry’s Rowan ready to build on success he had in summer

Kyle Rowan was looking for a springboard into his sophomore year of wrestling at Perry.

He found it in North Dakota, of all places.

Rowan finished fourth in the U.S. Marine Corps Cadet and Junior Nationals this past July.

So as Rowan heads into his sophomore year at Perry, he will do so as an All-American in freestyle wrestling before he has ever made it to the awards podium at Ohio’s state wrestling tournament.

“Being an all-American wrestler before my sophomore year at Perry is a huge confidencebooster for me,” Rowan said.

“The whole Fargo wrestling trip was a great experience. Going into the tournament, it was a goal for me to be on the podium as one of the top wrestlers in the country at my weight.”

He did even better than that, finishing fourth and coming ever so close to placing third.

He lost to Sheldon Seymour of Pennsylvania in the consolation finals of the 94-pound weight class. The final score was 6-6, but Seymour was credited with the victory based on criteria.

“This gives me a big confidence boost going into the season knowing that I can compete with the best wrestlers in the country,” Rowan said. “It also motivates me to be on the podium at the state tournament. From the experience gained from the trip, I hope to share my new techniques with the Perry wrestling team and hope to grow as a team.”

As a freshman, the Division II state tournament evaded Rowan, the son of Perry coach Dave Rowan. He finished 43-9 as a ninthgrader and was a fifth-place finisher at the Alliance District, making him a state tournament alternate.

Rowan wrestled all of last year undersized. While he was in the 106-pound weight class, he was never close to being 106 — so being able to wrestle at a weight class more to his size in Fargo — 94 pounds — leveled the field somewhat.

Rowan said he is much closer to, if not right on, 106 pounds as the current wrestling season starts.

“I feel I am better suited for freestyle wrestling because it’s mostly wrestling from the neutral position,” Rowan said. “That is my best and favorite position in wrestling.”

Rowan said a successful performance in the consolation semifinals — also known as the “blood round” for the ferocity of action in that round — was the key at Fargo. He was up against a wrestler from Indiana and came up with a clutch performance.

Responding to the pressure was important.

“I controlled the match from the beginning to the end,” Rowan said, “scoring my takedowns from a highcrotch. I did know that the match was the blood round, which made me nervous, but it made me more motivated to get the win and be on the podium.”

Dave Rowan, who doubles as a proud papa, pointed out that the Fargo tournament is the largest high school freestyle tournament in the nation. He credited his son for qualifying for Fargo through his performance in an Ohio qualifier.

His son navigated through a 64-man bracket to place fourth.

“I’m excited because he really loves this sport,” said Dave, a former standout at Madison High School and then at Edinboro University. “He’s passionate about it. That’s what I’m most proud of. It takes a lot of hard work, but it’s fun. As a dad coaching, it’s always hard, but he makes me proud.”

Heading into the season, Perry has a young squad that is full in the lower weight classes, but a little thin in the upper weights. The young 106-pounder can be looked at as a leader, even though he is a 10thgrader.

He is looking forward to the season.

But he is also proud of his accomplishments and is happy that his father has been with him every step of the way.

He would like nothing better for the next step to be up on the awards podium at the Jerome Schottenstein Center on March 10 at the state wrestling tournament.

“My dad and I have a very special bond through wrestling,” Kyle said. “During some of my matches (in Fargo) I would actually look to the stands and my dad would be coaching me from the stands.

“My dad has inspired me to not only be a good wrestler, but also a good person. I thank him for being there for me and having me start wrestling at a young age because going though the Perry program is just a fun and great experience. To be an all-American like him is awesome because it’s always been a dream for me to be just as good as he was.”

Rowan