Y2CJ41 Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Brought to you by EI Sports JEREMY HINES jerhines@cinergymetro.net Chad Red, Jr., or C.J as he is known, is one of Indiana’s most dominating high school wrestlers this season. He is the top 126-pounder in the state, and the No. 1 wrestler at that weight in the nation according to FloWrestling. Still, Red is always afraid that the next match might be the one he messes up in and loses. That’s what fuels him. “My goal is to be first in everything I do,” Red said. “I don’t like being ranked. I like to try and beat the odds. Now I have that number sign in front of my name. It doesn’t mean anything to me except that people are going to come at me harder, and want to beat me that much worse. I know I have to go out each time and work as hard as I can and wrestle the best I can, or I’ll lose.” Red, who wrestles for his dad Chad, Sr., at New Palestine High School, has been beaten before. He hasn’t lost in the Indiana high school seasons. He is a two time state champion and is undefeated in his high school career. But in the national tournaments, he has tasted defeat. He hated it. “I remember I was up 2-0 in a tournament and got caught in a headlock,” C.J. said. “I immediately called my dad and told him what happened. We talked for a few minutes then I turned off the phone and went back to training.” Coach Red says that is one of his son’s strengths. He can take a defeat and learn much more from that than he ever could from a win. But those defeats are very rare. So coach Red makes sure to keep his son grounded after each match. If C.J. takes a sloppy shot, or doesn’t have good foot movement, coach Red will point that out – even in victory. Coach Red does not want his son being satisfied with a mediocre win. “Wrestling for my dad has its ups and downs,” C.J. said. “He’s always on me. He tells me how I didn’t do this right, or that. I know it’s all constructive criticism, and I like it. It’s good. It makes me want to work harder. “I’ll go out there and feel like I wrestled a very good match. But when my dad tells me I did a good job, that’s when I really know I accomplished something. “ Inside, C.J. feels vulnerability. He knows he has weaknesses. But on the outside, he has always been a pillar of confidence. “We do not allow him to be cocky at all,” coach Red said. “We do not tolerate that. With Chad though, he has a swag of some sort. He has a confidence. That’s Chad. He’s been that way since he was born. He’s always been confident in himself. There is nothing wrong with that. He has to believe in what he’s doing. We, as coaches, can’t call plays or audibles from the sidelines in wrestling. He has to have his best every time he steps out on the mat.” That’s one of the reason C.J. loves wrestling. “It’s only you out there,” he said. “If you lose, you can only blame it on yourself. There are no excuses in wrestling.” C.J. wrestles a lot of Greco during the summers, despite his dad wishing he wouldn’t. But the 126-pound junior feels that is a way to get better. He wants to push himself, even when it means working on things he is not quite as good at. Coach Red sees a bright future in the sport of wrestling for his son. That’s why they work as hard as they do. “A lot of people tell Chad that he is good,” coach Red said. “I think he’s pretty good. I’m his biggest fan, but also his biggest critic. We have very high expectations for how he can perform. There is a big prize down the road for him if he continues to work. Whether it’s a college scholarship or whatever, there is something out there waiting on him. And there is always someone out there working to beat him.” New Palestine’s 120-pounder, Eugene Starks, is one of C.J.’s main practice partners in the Dragon wrestling room. “Chad is very aggressive and quick on his feet,” Starks said. “In practice I try to put up a fight with him. It has helped me tremendously. His shots are so good, it helps me learn to defend the shot better. He’s a great partner and a great teammate.” Red won state as a freshman at 106 pounds. Last year he was crowned the 120-pound champ. He has a goal to go undefeated in high school and win four state championships in the process. “It’s been a real blessing having a kid like Chad,” coach Red said. “He’s a great son, and a friend. I think the sky is the limit for him. He’s very solid and has a chance to really do something special. But like I always tell him, he has to keep a level head, stay focused on the prize and work to achieve it.” If you have a #WrestlingWednesday feature idea, email it to jerhines@cinergymetro.net Click here to view the article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unknown wrestler Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Great story on a great kid! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FANMAN Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 http://forum.theopenmat.com/index.php/topic,32699.0.html I think this would be a great fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FCFIGHTER170 Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 http://forum.theopenmat.com/index.php/topic,32699.0.html I think this would be a great fit. i concur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mylesdad Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 We have had the privilege of working with Chad and CJ for about 4 years now Chad and CJ are as advertised and CJ has a great work ethic and works hard for everything he achieves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWINfan Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Does anyone know what level of recruiting interest he is drawing? I looked at the InterMat rankings and noticed several juniors were committed to schools already and wondered where Chad was in the process. Is he being recruited heavily by the big programs? Does he have any favorites? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Y2CJ41 Posted January 21, 2015 Author Share Posted January 21, 2015 Cael Sanderson was in town this week and many other coaches have been in contact with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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