Athlete of the Week: UV’s Peet peaking at the right time
By Patrick Newell
Sun Sports Editor
pnewell@evesun.com
NEW BERLIN – Even when he was winning his first Section IV title a year ago as a sophomore, Unadilla Valley wrestler Tyler Peet did not have that one moment to define his wrestling career.
He had such a moment in the Section IV 135-pound Division I finals last week against Johnson City’s Josh Halladay. In the matches leading up to his showdown with the Wildcat grappler, Peet wrestled beautifully and to his level as the number one seed in the weight class. There, he found an opponent in Halladay who was tough to take down, and was taking the match to the favored Peet. Halladay reversed Peet at the start of the second period, and the UV grappler couldn’t shake loose.
Again, to start the third period, Peet was not able to wriggle from the grasps of his worthy JC opponent. “The first two periods, I don’t know what I was thinking,” Peet said. “I had seen him wrestle before and I knew he was a tough rider. I just couldn’t get the escape.”
Peet didn’t panic, though, even when the clocked ticked down under a minute. He finally got a leg out, squirmed free, and faced up to Halladay. Down a point, he found an opening with just under 30 seconds left, and scored the go-ahead takedown. In the process of getting the two-pointer, Peet slipped in a half-Nelson and turned Halladay for a five-point move. He closed out the win, and he won over Section IV’s coaches as well as he was named the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler.
Peet will seek another defining moment this weekend at the New York State Wrestling Tournament at the Times Union Center in Albany. Peet’s fabulous finish and second straight sectional championship earns him our own local honor as Smith Ford LLC/Evening Sun Athlete of the Week.
“Tyler has been successful at every level beginning as a pee wee, and we felt he was destined for big things,” said UV head coach Jim DuVall.
As a seventh-grader, Peet had the opportunity to wrestle with UV’s only state champion and three-time Section IV titlist, Trevor Franklin. Now, Peet is one sectional championship behind Franklin, but more importantly, he is one behind in state titles, an omission on his resume he hopes to rectify.
“I’ve definitely thought about a state title, and I hope to do the same thing as Trevor,” Peet said. “Last year, when I went to states I let everything going on there get to me. Now that is out of my system, I’m going up there with the mindset to make something happen.”
In amassing a 29-2 record this season, DuVall says Peet has tackled the toughest possible schedule in preparation for the season. He lost a match to a wrestler from Rush-Henrietta early in the season, and dropped a 6-2 decision to Section IV Division II champion Derek Heyman of Tioga. DuVall mixes up his drilling and throws new techniques at Peet whenever possible. The preparation and rigorous matchups were geared toward excelling this weekend.
“One thing we learned is that it doesn’t matter who is wrestling well at the beginning of year, but at the end,” DuVall said. “We wanted him to be peaking at this time of the year, and we went out and got Tyler – and the rest of the team – the toughest matches we could find all season long.”
Peet’s only two losses this season were starkly similar to the five-plus minutes he wrestled against Halladay. He proved he could rally under adverse circumstances and hopes to parlay that momentum into a state title.
“I have no idea what my chances are, but I know that everyone is good up there and I’ll have to be on every match,” he said.
Sun Sports Editor
pnewell@evesun.com
NEW BERLIN – Even when he was winning his first Section IV title a year ago as a sophomore, Unadilla Valley wrestler Tyler Peet did not have that one moment to define his wrestling career.
He had such a moment in the Section IV 135-pound Division I finals last week against Johnson City’s Josh Halladay. In the matches leading up to his showdown with the Wildcat grappler, Peet wrestled beautifully and to his level as the number one seed in the weight class. There, he found an opponent in Halladay who was tough to take down, and was taking the match to the favored Peet. Halladay reversed Peet at the start of the second period, and the UV grappler couldn’t shake loose.
Again, to start the third period, Peet was not able to wriggle from the grasps of his worthy JC opponent. “The first two periods, I don’t know what I was thinking,” Peet said. “I had seen him wrestle before and I knew he was a tough rider. I just couldn’t get the escape.”
Peet didn’t panic, though, even when the clocked ticked down under a minute. He finally got a leg out, squirmed free, and faced up to Halladay. Down a point, he found an opening with just under 30 seconds left, and scored the go-ahead takedown. In the process of getting the two-pointer, Peet slipped in a half-Nelson and turned Halladay for a five-point move. He closed out the win, and he won over Section IV’s coaches as well as he was named the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler.
Peet will seek another defining moment this weekend at the New York State Wrestling Tournament at the Times Union Center in Albany. Peet’s fabulous finish and second straight sectional championship earns him our own local honor as Smith Ford LLC/Evening Sun Athlete of the Week.
“Tyler has been successful at every level beginning as a pee wee, and we felt he was destined for big things,” said UV head coach Jim DuVall.
As a seventh-grader, Peet had the opportunity to wrestle with UV’s only state champion and three-time Section IV titlist, Trevor Franklin. Now, Peet is one sectional championship behind Franklin, but more importantly, he is one behind in state titles, an omission on his resume he hopes to rectify.
“I’ve definitely thought about a state title, and I hope to do the same thing as Trevor,” Peet said. “Last year, when I went to states I let everything going on there get to me. Now that is out of my system, I’m going up there with the mindset to make something happen.”
In amassing a 29-2 record this season, DuVall says Peet has tackled the toughest possible schedule in preparation for the season. He lost a match to a wrestler from Rush-Henrietta early in the season, and dropped a 6-2 decision to Section IV Division II champion Derek Heyman of Tioga. DuVall mixes up his drilling and throws new techniques at Peet whenever possible. The preparation and rigorous matchups were geared toward excelling this weekend.
“One thing we learned is that it doesn’t matter who is wrestling well at the beginning of year, but at the end,” DuVall said. “We wanted him to be peaking at this time of the year, and we went out and got Tyler – and the rest of the team – the toughest matches we could find all season long.”
Peet’s only two losses this season were starkly similar to the five-plus minutes he wrestled against Halladay. He proved he could rally under adverse circumstances and hopes to parlay that momentum into a state title.
“I have no idea what my chances are, but I know that everyone is good up there and I’ll have to be on every match,” he said.
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