O-R Athlete of the Week: Jimmy Gwyer, Beth-Center
Name: Jimmy Gwyer
School: Beth-Center
Sport: Wrestling
Class: Senior
Gwyer’s week: Gwyer amassed five victories in the team postseason to help Beth-Center earn its first berth into the PIAA Class AA Team Tournament.
The 120-pound senior began the WPIAL Team Tournament with a pair of pins, one over Jason Bloom of Southmoreland and the other over Xavier Merlin of Derry. He followed that with an impressive 5-0 decision over Trent Valovchik in B-C’s loss to Burrell in the semifinals. His 8-2 decision over Justin Richey helped the Bulldogs defeat Quaker Valley that earned them third place and a spot in the state team event. It was the first time in Beth-Center’s history to make the PIAA Team Tournament. It also was his 100th career win.
Beth-Center lost a heartbreaker to Conneaut High School in the preliminary round Monday but Gwyer contributed with a pin of Connor Peterson.
“It was definitely a great feeling,” Gwyer said of competing in the state team tournament. “The team was hyped up. The kids were hyped up. It was the first time we made it.”
A late start
While many successful wrestlers begin their careers at an early age, Gwyer started in eight grade. Why so late?
“I just didn’t know about it,” Gwyer said. “My friends were doing it, so I decided to do it. I really enjoyed it.”
But to be successful in it, he had to put in a lot of work. He joined the Phoenix Wrestling Club in Fredericktown and that, along with his regular practice routine at the high school, turned his future in the sport upward.
“He was pretty raw. He had a lot of physical strength but he needed to work on his technique,” said B-C head coach Gary Welsh. “By the midpoint of his senior year, he began to figure out what worked for him. He was a .500 wrestler as a freshman and made a big leap as a sophomore. … He took about five steps his sophomore. … We knew what we had in the room. He was wrestling our heavier guys and was flat-out competing.”
Making friends
Gwyer’s personality in the room made him a favorite with his teammates. Before individual tournament bouts, Gwyer would go up to wrestlers and ask to work out for a few minutes.
“I met people from 106 pounds to heavyweight,” Gwyer said.
“He has a very unique personality,” Welsh said. “He’s a team favorite and fan favorite. He puts himself out there and because of it, he’s made some really good friendships.”
Gwyer qualified for the state individual tournament as a sophomore but missed as a junior. So it’s easy to guess his goals for the season.
“I also want to get Todd Fisher up (to states),” Gwyer said. “He’s my practice partner.”
Compiled by Joe Tuscano