The work started on March 1 of last year. And nearly one full year later, the reward of that work was realized.
Last March, Zach Kuelling was a Marion junior and drove home from Albany processing his fourth-place finish at the state wrestling championships. And that loss was the primary motivator for Kuelling’s senior season.
So last Saturday, when the referee’s hand slapped the mat to officially call it a win by fall for Kuelling in the 285-pound state championship match, Kuelling had just one thought: “Joy, just pure joy,” he said. “Thirteen years of work finally paid off.”
Indeed, the road back to the New York State wrestling tournament was not easy or guaranteed and was nearly derailed by a shoulder injury in January. Doctors told Kuelling it might take up to six weeks to recover, which would have ended his season not to mention his dream of being a state champion.
But Kueling wasn’t just stubborn in his refusal to accept the recovery timeframe, he was persistent.
“I did (physical therapy) five times a day,” he said. “Anywhere I could do my exercises, I would.”
The determination got him back on the mat in time to win a Section V championship, then allowed him to steamroll through the field at the state qualifiers with four straight pins.
His first two matches in Albany were wins, which set up Saturday morning’s semifinal against the opponent who beat him in last year’s tournament to end his championship dream as a junior. But Kuelling was familiar with Troy Beeman of Waverly after pinning him at an event earlier this season.
That confidence fueled a win by pin in 2:26 and sent him to Saturday evening’s championship, where he was wrestling Southern Hills sophomore Jerod Olrich. The match was delayed when Olrich had an illegal singlet, which forced an injury timeout so Olrich could change singlets and and gave Kuelling a 1-0 lead to start the match.
But Kuelling said the tape he watched of Olrich during Saturday afternoon allowed him to identify a vulnerability that he knew he could exploit. He even informed Olrich of his plan.
“I told him I was going to throw him with the double-over (hook) move and he said it’s 0-0, you don’t need it,” said Kuelling. “But I did it.”
That helped Kuelling build an 8-0 lead by the end of the first period and in the second period, a Kuelling reversal gave him a 10-0 lead.
“I wanted to push it as much as possible,” said Kuelling. “I could tell he was getting uncomfortable.”
Not long after, Kuelling’s saw an opportunity for a turn while both were on their feet and when Olrich landed on his back with Kuelling on top, the match was over and at 3:10, Kuelling had his pin and his state championship.
Kuelling is the first state wrestling champion from Marion, and Williamson and Sodus, since the schools combine to form a team during the duals season. Kuelling’s title also helped Section V win the team title.
