Published: 10:08 PM, Mon Dec 03, 2012
Jack Britt's Aaron Dickson focuses on new wrestling season
By Earl Vaughan Jr.
Scholastic sports editor
John Deweese is never short on confidence when he's fielding a wrestling team at Jack Britt High School.
"I always think every guy I put on the mat could be a state champion,'' he said.
But it is wrestlers such as Aaron Dickson that give him even greater reason to think that than most.
Dickson is coming off a year in which he placed in the top four in the state in his weight class. He's already risen to the top ranking in the 145-pound weight class in the 4-A classification, according to Retro Rankings.
"Being a junior, I think he won a lot of tournaments, but I think he should have won,'' Deweese said. "It's one of those things where luck has something to do with it too. Sometimes you're lucky and sometimes you're not.''
In Dickson's case, it's not just a matter of luck. Determination has a lot to do with it, as well.
"It was aggravating,'' Dickson said of falling short a year ago. "I came on strong and kind of shut down. I knew I could have won the match if I had put it all out there. I've got to learn from some mistakes, train hard and come back stronger.''
That training already started in wrestling camps this summer.
"He busted his butt and jumped in front of some nationally-ranked kids, some who had committed to Ohio State and Wisconsin,'' Deweese said.
"He's looking to wrestle top-notch guys and beat up on guys that would normally beat up on him.''
Dickson said he plans to approach every match this year hungry, not leaving anything to chance.
"I'm not going to give up any offensive points,'' he said. "That's what I learned. My strong point will be my quickness.''
Because of Britt's deep advance in the state 4-AA football playoffs, the team likely will start slow because so many wrestlers were on the football team.
"We'll be short-handed,'' Dickson said. "We'll just get in the wrestling room and handle business until they get in there.
"Once they do, we'll be a stronger team. We're not worried about the early season. The end of season is when the guys will come together.''
Scholastic sports editor Earl Vaughan Jr. can be reached at vaughane@fayobserver.com or 486-3519.