Jack Buell is about as experienced a wrestler as they come. Beginning with the Sherburne-Earlville Marauders as a 112-pound seventh-grader, Buell has grown into a muscular 195-pounder who is the number one ranked Section III Division II wrestler in his weight class, and a likely contender for a high placement in the state tournament next month in Albany.
Buell was tabbed as a talented up-and-comer from the moment he stepped on a varsity mat. He is closing in on 100 career victories, and would likely have 70 or 80 more wins if not for his biggest bug-a-boo: injuries.
"He's been unlucky (with injuries)," said S-E varsity wrestling coach, Bim Palmer. "He's worked hard and stayed healthy this season. That combination has led to his success."
Other than his eighth-grade year, Buell has not wrestled a complete varsity season. He has 25 wins already this year, but missed nearly two weeks in December after suffering a freak injury in the Clyde Cole Tournament finals.
Since that tournament in Oxford, Buell has racked up sublime performance after sublime performance, and his stature continues to grow on a statewide level. "He's definitely not someone to forget about," Palmer said. "He opened some eyes at the end of last year, and people know who he is this year."
At the Eastern States Classic, the most prestigious regular season wrestling tournament in New York State, Buell entered the event as a number eight seed, and pre-tournament forecasts did not have the junior grappler in the title mix.
Buell was immediately a factor rolling to the semifinals with a major decision and a pin. He took the defending 195-pound state champion, Nathaniel Rose, to the limit before losing 5-3. Buell went on to pin two of his next three opponents to place third overall.
One week later, Buell was back at it in the highly competitive Shenendehowa Invitational. Buell picked up a takedown in the final 10 seconds against nemesis Riley Hanrahan of Unatego (the top-ranked Section IV D-2 wrestler at 195 pounds) to earn the tournament championship.
Only the best have found a way to beat Buell the past two seasons, and Buell is just a smidge away from becoming the best in his weight class. The S-E wrestler's outstanding performances and push toward the top of the wrestling podium have earned him our honor as Matthews Ford and Planet Preowned Athlete of the Week.
"People knew (Jack) was up and coming last year," Palmer said.
After missing a good portion of last year, again battling a knee injury, Buell lost just twice the entire season. One of those defeats came in the Section III Division II tournament to Mexico's Trevor Allard, 4-3. Allard would go on to win the 182-pound state title. Two of the three people to have beaten Buell the last two seasons were state champions in 2014. In each case, Buell was just a point or two away from pulling out the victory.
"(Because) he's healthy, he's not holding back," Palmer said, who noted that Buell often had to remain wary of nagging injuries. "He maintains that high-level work ethic, and the best thing is that he has a great workout partner in practice every day."
Buell works in practice with senior Garrett DuVall, who himself is a veteran in state tournament competition, and finished third in the state just a season ago. "When you have a workout partner who is that good, it can only make you a better wrestler," Palmer said.
Buell lost early in the season in the aforementioned Clyde Cole Tournament. Coming off an offseason where he wrestled almost entirely Greco-Roman and freestyle, there was a period of adjustment, Palmer said, for Buell to adapt back to the high school's folkstyle of wrestling. Buell has since avenged that loss – twice in fact – and is rolling forward toward a potential sectional championship.
"He's corrected some of those mistakes from earlier this season," Palmer said. "He's putting things together and he wants to be where the best wrestlers are."
Buell is getting there, and he's on the fast track.