Despite a 21-2 record this season, Tyler Williams has flown largely under the radar when it comes to ranking the state’s top 152-pound wrestlers.
The Columbus East senior, whose only losses were close matches against the No. 2- and No. 3-ranked wrestlers at 152, is ranked No. 12 going into Saturday’s Hoosier Hills Conference Tournament. He credits his success to improved confidence.
“I feel like I’ve done very well with my mental wrestling, which was my biggest weakness last year going into the postseason,” Williams said. “That was definitely a big problem that I struggled with last year.”
Williams wrestled varsity for Columbus North as a freshman, then was limited to JV action under IHSAA transfer rules as a sophomore at East. In his first season of varsity for the Olympians last year, he went 20-12 and made it to semistate at 145.
At the Evansville Semistate, Williams drew Avon’s Jaden Reynolds in the first round and dropped a 15-2 major decision. Reynolds went on to win the semistate and finish third at state.
“I would say the last couple years were all right, nothing horrible, but nothing crazy good,” Williams said.
While East wrestlers typically compete in numerous matches in the offseason, last year was different because of COVID-19. With school facilities shut down for most of the spring and part of the summer, Williams and his teammates spent plenty of time practicing at Eli Pollitt’s barn that they dubbed the “Fight Barn.”
During that time, and in practice the past two years, Williams has gone up against former state qualifiers Kade Law and Sam Morrill. Law currently is ranked No. 4 at 160, and Morrill is No. 6 at 170.
“Just practicing a bunch this summer with really good kids like Sam and Kade and just getting exhibition matches in, that’s definitely the biggest thing that helps me because they’re great wrestlers,” Williams said.
East coach Chris Cooper noticed that potential in practice.
“Going into the year, we weren’t quite sure where he was at,” Cooper said. “In the practice room, he’s been pretty good. He’ll compete with Sam Morrill and Kade Law and those top guys. It just didn’t transfer over into meets. We think that he can be a state place-winner, so we’re excited to see what he can do at the end of the season.”
Williams’ lone losses this season have been a 13-8 decision against No. 2 Javen Estrada of Crown Point, who was a state place-winner in Illinois last season, and a 9-7 decision against No. 3 Riley Rust from Center Grove, who finished fourth at state at 145 last year.
Rust is ranked No. 1 in the Evansville Semistate. Williams, who is No. 7 in the semistate, likely will see Floyd Central’s J Conway, who is ranked No. 2 in the semistate and No. 4 in state in Saturday’s HHC meet at Madison.
“I wrestled the No. 1 guy in my semistate, and I should have won the match,” Williams said. “I lost, but it was a good match. If I can beat him, I can beat anyone in the semistate.”
Cooper said Williams is wrestling with a great deal more confidence than last season.
“He’s a very intelligent wrestler,” Cooper said. “I have the kid in Calculus class, and he’s incredibly smart. Just developing that confidence level and doing the things that he does well has caused him to excel. When I think back to him as a wrestler last year, he didn’t have the success he was capable of. I think the biggest difference from last year to this year is his confidence level, just that confidence that he can go out and be successful has been a big difference.”
Williams carries a 3.96 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society. An Academic All-State selection, he applied to several colleges and wants to study pre-law.
Whether Williams will wrestle at the next level still is up in the air.
“I’m debating it,” Williams said. “It’s still in my mind, but I’m not sure yet. I just have to find the right school.”
