TACOMA — Sequim wrestler Kevyn Ward has been busy during his senior season trying to pack a heavyweight personality on his 160-pound frame.
Never content to sit still, Ward is the center of attention at league duals and tournaments, encouraging and cheering on teammates, greeting opponents and generally being the source of all non-mat related activity.
He brings that enthusiasm to the mat, as well, where his typically hard-charging style has earned him a 32-10 record heading into Mat Classic XXVIII, the state wrestling tournament, today and Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.
“Kevyn is very energetic,” Wolves coach Charles Drabek said.
“Other kids tend to gravitate toward him. It’s like he has a magnetic personality.”
Ward also brings confidence to the mat.
“I come out and I say this guy isn’t going to get in my way,” Ward said.
“I come out to get the initial shots in, the initial takedown.
“My mentality is to go out and beat on the kid I’m wrestling, as bad as it sounds, and wrestle all six minutes at full intensity. I want to tire the kid out so I can still be strong at the end.”
Ward has honed his approach for his senior season.
“I know that he’s explosive from the neutral position,” Drabek said.
The neutral position is how matches begin, with wrestlers facing each other.
“Last year he used to throw a lot,” Drabek said.
“We talked to him about changing the way he’s wrestled and being a little more strategic and in control and not trying to throw as much, and in spite of that, he’s still putting people on his back because of how strong he is.”
That slight shift in style came after a long offseason spent thinking about his final match at last year’s Mat Classic, a 13-10 loss to eventual fifth-place finisher Dustin Nading of R.A. Long.
“Kevyn was ahead on points with 30 seconds to go and we are telling him, ‘Whatever you do, don’t tie up, don’t force the issue,’” Drabek said. “And what does he do? He ties up. And the guy throws him and gets the final five points to win the match.”
A win would have assured Ward of a top-eight finish, a goal of his since he was in eighth grade.
“I came into state wrestling the best I ever have,” Ward said.
“I won subregionals and regionals and then I ran into an animal from Quincy in the first round.
“Then I battle through to that match and coach told me not to tie up. And I didn’t listen.
“And there I was 20 seconds from placing at state.”
The bitter defeat has Ward motivated for his final shot at a state medal.
“Redemption,” Ward said when asked his personal goal at state.
“Go back and demolish kids and place.”
Drabek said the big stage may have unnerved Ward.
“He was hot and it was all good, and we get to the Dome for practice,” Drabek said.
“He was awestruck and overwhelmed, and after the tournament was over he said he was intimidated.
“That’s why having that experience will really help him. He knows to focus on the mat rather than the pageantry and the hoopla of it all.”
Ward also has shown heart on and off the mat while helping the Sequim wrestling team rebuild into a contender during his four seasons.
Drabek recounts Ward’s toughness in wrestling on a badly injured ankle as a freshman.
“He was wrestling at the Hammerhead Invitational [in Bremerton],” Drabek said.
“Kevyn cried out and grabbed his ankle and we go over to check him out during injury time.
“He starts standing up almost immediately, and we are telling him to sit back, there’s still time.
“He assures us he’s OK, and he half-walks, half-crawls back over and finishes the match out. I’m telling him to stand up to escape and he couldn’t even walk.”
It left an indelible impression on Drabek.
“He was out for most of the rest of the season, but it just showed the size of his heart, his fire and how much he really loves wrestling,” Drabek said.
“As a coach I appreciate that. You see some kids that don’t have that competitive streak, and that can get you down. But that’s never been an issue with Kevyn.”
Ward also has grown friendly over the years with teammate Nick Barrett, who has Down syndrome.
Ward helped lead a student-body effort to elect Barrett as homecoming king last fall and continually pals around with him at practice and at meets.
“With Nick on the team, I’ve really learned a lot about how to deal with my own problems,” Ward said.
“You watch Nick wrestle and you learn nothing can put you down. He may get pinned in 10 seconds but he still walks off the mat like he’s an Olympic champion.
“You learn you have to keep your head up and deal with defeat.”
Ward and Barrett’s friendship has left a mark on Drabek, too.
“With Nick, he really took him under the wing as a sophomore and has continued to encourage him and support him, and that kind of tells me where Kevyn’s heart is,” Drabek said.
“He’s special, and I will really miss him.”
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-452-2345, ext. 57050 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
