Owen Campbell joined an exclusive Plum wrestling list last month.
With a 10-4 victory in a match against Mt. Pleasant at the North Hills Duals on Dec. 13, the senior 152-pounder became just the 15th wrestler in program history to record 100 varsity victories.
“I was a little nervous going into the match, but I was able to do what I needed to do to get the win,” Campbell said.
He stood at 111 victories after taking first at 152 at the Bo Wood Tournament on Jan. 3 at Indiana High School.
Now, he is eyeing up some of the leaders on the list. In the coming weeks, he is expected to pass well-known Plum names like John Marotto, Jake Quinten, Bill Closson and Tommy Zummo.
Sean Clair owns the school record with 150 victories from 2002-05, but Campbell could reach 2009 graduate Cory Bonura’s second-place total of 129 wins. That, he said, would most likely come at the PIAA tournament, one of a number of goals he has, both individual and team oriented, as his final varsity season wears on.
“I want to place at states this year,” Campbell said. “We have one of the best regionals in the state, and I am confident that if I can get to states, I will place. But I know I still have work to do.”
Making the most of the time and opportunity he has left drives the Plum standout and college recruit who improved to 17-3 with a 3-0 mark — all pins — at Bo Wood.
“I feel pretty good. I am getting to my offense a lot, working on my shots. If I can get to my attacks more, I can be more dominant,” said Campbell who, along with Bo Wood heavyweight champion, senior Frank Grazulis, helped Plum finish second to Mifflinburg in the team standings.
Campbell, fourth at WPIALs last year, owns nine pins, five technical falls and one major decision among his 17 wins.
“I am working on keeping my pace high and hoping to wear down my opponents,” Campbell said. “I am always working to get those bonus points for the team.”
Plum coach Mike Supak said Campbell has benefited from seeing several strong opponents over the first half of the season.
“It has allowed him to see what he needs to work on to take that next step,” Supak said. “They are good learning experiences. He’s already shown that he has made improvements. He’s looking really good right now with a positive attitude that he can make even bigger strides.”
Plum took a 3-4 overall record and an 0-2 mark in section matches into contests against Franklin Regional (Jan. 7) and Gateway (Jan. 14) before this weekend’s Allegheny County tournament at Fox Chapel.
Plum finished 10th as a team at last year’s county tournament, and Campbell took second at 139.
Grazulis improved to 17-2 this year at 285 with three wins — a pin and two decisions — en route to the Bo Wood title.
Now in his third varsity season, the Bo Wood wins upped his career varsity mark to 67-31.
Grazulis has been aggressive on his feet and on the mat. Eleven of those 17 wins this season were pins.
Also an all-star lineman for the Plum football team, Grazulis said his work with his hands and straight-forward aggressiveness in football has continued to translate well to his efforts on the wrestling mat.
“It definitely helps build a toughness in dealing with everything you run into in a match,” he said.
“I am always looking to make an impact, and my dad always talks with me about flipping that switch and being aggressive from the start of a match. It also helps with the stamina it takes to make it farther in matches.”
Grazulis’s two losses in December came in overtime. One was to Gateway sophomore Andrew Gabriel. He hopes to avenge that loss this week. The other was to West Allegheny’s Cam Danna at the Southmoreland Holiday Classic.
“I am excited for the rest of the season,” Grazulis said. “I have those two matches (losses) that I am looking to get back. They were close and competitive. I am really pushing for a run to states this year.”
Supak said Grazulis, a section runner-up as a junior, is even stronger this season with both his offensive and defensive moves.
“He’s a little angrier with a bigger purpose for what he wants to do and being able to move his opponents in a specific way,” Supak said.
Plum picked up six medals at the Bo Wood Tournament.
Senior Brennan Overcash (133) and junior Joel Kline (139) scored silver medals, while senior Douglas Harchick (145) and freshman Braeden Watters (160) both placed fourth.
Kline, in his second varsity season, went 2-1 at Bo Wood to improve to 16-8 overall with seven pins and two major decisions to his credit.
Overcash upped his record to 9-5 with three wins in four matches at Bo Wood. Those three wins came in the form of two pins and a tech. fall.