Athlete of the Week: Greg DuVall: Bigger, stronger... and better
Sherburne-Earlville junior wrestler Greg DuVall knew right away that he needed to make some changes. A two-time sectional wrestling champion in eighth and ninth grade, DuVall dipped to a fifth-place finish in the Section III, Division II tournament a year ago.
“The very next day (after the tournament), I got in the weight room,” DuVall said. “I realized I was too small for my weight class. I lifted three days a week over the summer and wrestled the other two days. I’ve continued that until today because I couldn’t let what happened last year happen again. I don’t think I’ve taken a day off since last season.”
The product of DuVall’s hard work is a bigger, stronger, and perhaps even better version of the grappler who is perhaps the Marauders’ best hope at bringing home a sectional championship.
Sporting a perfect 29-0 record this season, DuVall enters tonight’s first round of the tournament as the number three seed at 135 pounds. The various criteria for seeding wrestlers includes past year’s sectional tournament results, and based on that alone, S-E head coach Bim Palmer agrees his pupil is in the right spot. “If you go by that stuff (criteria), he should be the third seed,” Palmer said. “We know how good he is. He does fly under the radar, and the third seed doesn’t bother him. It doesn’t give (Greg) any sense that he won’t be in the finals. I believe in him, and he’ll go to the end.”
DuVall may fly under the radar in some circles, but his accomplishments this season and throughout his varsity career are definitely eye-openers for us, and he is our selection today as Evening Sun/Smith Ford LLC Athlete of the Week.
A son of a coach, DuVall began wrestling before his first day of kindergarten, and was a seasoned competitor before he ever slipped on a varsity wrestling singlet. He won his first sectional title as an eighth-grader at Unadilla Valley while competing in Section IV. A year later, his skills translated well to Section III as he won a sectional title there. As far as we know, he is the only area wrestler to win back-to-back sectional titles in separate sections.
“We’ve been lucky to have him the last three years,” Palmer said. “We have a team full of hard workers, and Greg works hard every day, even when he isn’t feeling well. He’s really focused and pushes himself every day. He loves wrestling and has put a lot of time into it. I think his hard work will pay off.”
Slotted behind two other wrestlers at the Small School Division sectional championships, DuVall will need to beat the number two seed in the semifinals, and likely the number one seed to advance to his third state tournament. DuVall likes his position, and when he won his first sectional championship, he was not a number one seed on that occasion either.
“I love being the underdog, and I’d rather be that guy than the person with the big target on his back,” DuVall said. “I would much rather be where I am. Nobody thinks much about me, but I know what I have to do.”
Surprisingly – or maybe not – DuVall was unaware of his win total this season. His only concern is the match at hand, and getting his hand raised when the match is over. “I always go out to win, and I don’t even think about losing,” DuVall said. “I know that when I go out there, I give my best and all that I can.”
DuVall’s best has been better than everyone else, and it could lead to a third trip to the New York State Tournament.
“The very next day (after the tournament), I got in the weight room,” DuVall said. “I realized I was too small for my weight class. I lifted three days a week over the summer and wrestled the other two days. I’ve continued that until today because I couldn’t let what happened last year happen again. I don’t think I’ve taken a day off since last season.”
The product of DuVall’s hard work is a bigger, stronger, and perhaps even better version of the grappler who is perhaps the Marauders’ best hope at bringing home a sectional championship.
Sporting a perfect 29-0 record this season, DuVall enters tonight’s first round of the tournament as the number three seed at 135 pounds. The various criteria for seeding wrestlers includes past year’s sectional tournament results, and based on that alone, S-E head coach Bim Palmer agrees his pupil is in the right spot. “If you go by that stuff (criteria), he should be the third seed,” Palmer said. “We know how good he is. He does fly under the radar, and the third seed doesn’t bother him. It doesn’t give (Greg) any sense that he won’t be in the finals. I believe in him, and he’ll go to the end.”
DuVall may fly under the radar in some circles, but his accomplishments this season and throughout his varsity career are definitely eye-openers for us, and he is our selection today as Evening Sun/Smith Ford LLC Athlete of the Week.
A son of a coach, DuVall began wrestling before his first day of kindergarten, and was a seasoned competitor before he ever slipped on a varsity wrestling singlet. He won his first sectional title as an eighth-grader at Unadilla Valley while competing in Section IV. A year later, his skills translated well to Section III as he won a sectional title there. As far as we know, he is the only area wrestler to win back-to-back sectional titles in separate sections.
“We’ve been lucky to have him the last three years,” Palmer said. “We have a team full of hard workers, and Greg works hard every day, even when he isn’t feeling well. He’s really focused and pushes himself every day. He loves wrestling and has put a lot of time into it. I think his hard work will pay off.”
Slotted behind two other wrestlers at the Small School Division sectional championships, DuVall will need to beat the number two seed in the semifinals, and likely the number one seed to advance to his third state tournament. DuVall likes his position, and when he won his first sectional championship, he was not a number one seed on that occasion either.
“I love being the underdog, and I’d rather be that guy than the person with the big target on his back,” DuVall said. “I would much rather be where I am. Nobody thinks much about me, but I know what I have to do.”
Surprisingly – or maybe not – DuVall was unaware of his win total this season. His only concern is the match at hand, and getting his hand raised when the match is over. “I always go out to win, and I don’t even think about losing,” DuVall said. “I know that when I go out there, I give my best and all that I can.”
DuVall’s best has been better than everyone else, and it could lead to a third trip to the New York State Tournament.
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