Carmel's Hollander chops foes down to size

[grappler87]

January 16, 2009

 

Carmel's Hollander chops foes down to size

 

Carmel's little big man excels

 

By Steve Brooks

Star correspondent

 

To say Carmel High School heavyweight wrestler Jesse Hollander is giving up a little weight would be an understatement.

 

Hollander -- who weighed 235 pounds during football season as a backup running back -- has dropped down to 220, but giving up 50-60 pounds to opponents in most matches doesn't keep the Carmel sophomore from excelling.

 

He's 16-3 heading into this weekend, with two losses to third-ranked Jonathon Clark of Jefferson and seventh-ranked Ethan Cuevas of North Central. It's not a bad showing for a wrestler who saw action in only one varsity meet last season.

 

"I am (surprised by Hollander's success), but I'm also not," said Carmel coach John Kopnisky. "We noticed last year that Jesse was coming along really well, and we told him that if he kept plugging at it, he would be successful.

 

"I didn't think we'd see it this soon, and I think he's a little surprised, too, but he's also really excited. He's found his niche at heavyweight."

 

Kopnisky said Hollander's athleticism lets him be successful against bigger opponents.

 

"He's a good-sized 220, and he's powerful and fast," Kopnisky said, "but his technique with his shots is great. His takedowns are where he's doing this. He's as good as our kids who are 125 pounds, 145 pounds, when it comes to taking shots. Heavyweights don't take shots like that. He's able to shoot in against the bigger kids and put them on their back, and those kids aren't expecting that."

 

Kopnisky said Hollander also has to use strategy against true heavyweights.

 

"Against kids his size, Jesse can bang with them the whole match and tire them out," he said, "but with the bigger guys he has to be patient. If he tries to push those guys around . . . it's going to tire him out."

 

As the rankings stand, Cuevas is the only ranked wrestler Hollander would see before the state meet.

 

"It's always a possibility (to advance to state)," Kopnisky said. "It has a lot to do with the draw and whether you're wrestling to your performance level when you get out on the mat, but certainly it's possible for him."