When entering their senior season of any sport, some high school athletes are aware there is little time left to meet expectations and accomplish the goals they set for themselves.
Chartiers Valley wrestler Michael Lawrence entered his senior year with a lot of unfinished business, milestones to reach and a chance to become a mentor to his younger teammates.
“I knew I was getting older, and I remember how former teammates Dylan Evans and Brady Joling were when I was a freshman, how they taught me some funky wrestling moves and the importance of cardio,” said Lawrence.
“I wanted to be like them, being very good in the sport and helping others along the way.”
Wrestling coach Bill Evans noted the change in the 172-pound wrestler from the very beginning of camp.
“He had a different attitude,” said Evans. “I think he came in with a lot more maturity, wanting to be a leader.
“A lot of guys tend to shy away from a role like that, but he’s taken a couple young guys under his wing.”
Lawrence has mentored Russian brothers Tilek and Musabek Sadyrbekov, showing them new techniques and helping them out any way he can. Being one of five seniors on the roster, Lawrence is spreading his wealth of wrestling knowledge to the entire team.
“I came into this season determined to take at least one young wrestler and show them moves they don’t know and help them become the best wrestlers they can be,” Lawrence said.
“He has a very strong work ethic but also makes it a fun place to be,” said Evans. “He’s playing dodgeball with the guys before practice. He makes sure that the younger guys have someone to emulate. He’s stepped into that leadership role and become a positive force for the team.
“I also think the injury he suffered last year helped him gain a different perspective.”
Coming into the Allegheny County Championships last year with a 22-2 record wrestling at 172 pounds, Lawrence had his sights set on making the postseason for the third straight year. He made it to the semifinals in the championship bracket, where he lost a 5-4 decision to Carter Morvay of North Hills.
Squaring off against Quaker Valley’s Marcus Richey in the semifinal round in the consolation bracket, Lawrence had hopes of fighting his way to a third-place finish.
He held a lead as the match was coming to a close when Richey went for broke with a throw. Sticking out his right arm to brace for the takedown, Lawrence landed and was overcome with pain.
He suffered a clean dislocation of his elbow, allowing the on-site doctor to pop the elbow back into place.
Unfortunately for Lawrence, it meant his wrestling season was over. He finished sixth at the competition.
“It wasn’t the worst-case scenario. His was the best case,” said Evans. “He was able to get healthy in the normal four-to-six-month range.”
That allowed Lawrence to recover just in time for football season. He ended up leading the Colts in tackles, averaging 9.7 a game from his linebacker position, and he was named first team all-conference.
Lawrence began his wrestling journey at the age of 5.
Early on, it didn’t seem that wrestling would be a good fit, but as time went on, he got better and came into his own.
“Those first few years, I didn’t think I was that good,” said Lawrence. “But between fifth and seventh grade, things really started to pick up for me.”
Lawrence went on to states during that time and placed four times, even finishing fourth on one occasion. That experience served him well by the time he joined the Chartiers Valley varsity team.
“He had a solid base after having been a multiple state medalist as a kid,” said Evans. “That prepared him to be competitive his freshman year.”
Lawrence finished his first year with a 22-14 record, recorded 13 pins and placed fifth at sectionals before going on to WPIALs, where he was pinned in the first round.
What Lawrence wasn’t prepared for was the prospect of cutting weight.
“I was trying to cut weight to wrestle at 139, and I just felt that cutting wasn’t for me,” Lawrence said.
As a football player, Lawrence wanted to maintain his weight to continue to perform on the gridiron. Having seen that scenario before, Evans spoke with Lawrence.
“I told him to cut six or seven pounds throughout the season because he was going to grow once the season was over and put on a bunch of weight,” Evans said.
Evans bet Lawrence that if he wasn’t over 152 or 153 pounds a week after the season, Evans would buy him a steak dinner complete with a milkshake.
Lawrence ended up weighing 155 pounds when the season was over.
“I was like, ‘I told you so,’” Evans said.
The increase in weight jumped Lawrence up to the 160-pound weight class, where he went 28-10, recorded 17 pins and finished second in sectionals after losing a 3-1 decision in the title match.
“I was very excited that season because it was my second time going to WPIALs, but my first real shot to make the state tournament,” Lawrence said.
Unfortunately, he lost a 10-4 decision in the second round at WPIALs, falling short of his goal to make it to states.
Going into his junior season, Lawrence felt confident that he would do well enough to finally break through get to the state tournament.
Once the elbow injury happened, Lawrence’s aspirations of a long postseason were cut short. He finished the season with a 25-4 mark and 11 pins.
That brought Lawrence to his senior year, where he got off to a blazing start, running off 18 straight wins through the first month.
“The combination of coming into your senior year, coming into yourself, maturing, everything starting to fire on all cylinders at the right time and the chance to reach milestones can have a great motivational effect on an athlete,” said Evans.
Lawrence suffered his first loss of the season in the semifinal round of the Burgettstown Invitational, falling in a 7-4 decision to Armstrong’s Kaleb Kinzey.
“I wasn’t getting to my shots, not setting them up as I usually do,” said Lawrence.
He went on to pin Camden Barkey of South Park in the consolation semis before losing to North Hills’ Carter Morvay in a 7-1 decision for fourth place.
“I got down on myself after the loss to Kinzey and began to doubt myself,” Lawrence said. “In those last two matches, I wasn’t completely focused.”
“I don’t think he recovered the right way after his first loss,” said Evans. “He didn’t have a proper cool down or a good warmup beforehand. I don’t think he put himself in a good position to win that consolation match, and he knew that.
“That was just a really good bracket. You could honestly throw all those names in a hat and wrestle that tournament five different times and end up with five different results.”
But Lawrence recovered and rattled off four straight wins to accomplish his goal of 100-career victories.
He reached his 101st career win with a 10-1 major decision win over North Allegheny’s Brody Barnhart on Jan. 17 at the Allegheny County Championships.
“In the past, I feel like I have always wrestled my best at counties,” said Lawrence days prior to the competition.
He placed fourth his freshman year and third his sophomore year before the injury last year.
This year, Lawrence made it all the way to the semifinals in the championship bracket, losing an 11-3 major decision to Liam Coast of Moon, but fought all the way back to the third-place match, where he lost a 4-2 decision to Morvay.
As of Jan. 20, Lawrence had a 26-4 record and had pinned 14 opponents. With a couple of dual meets left before sectionals and a month until WPIALs, Lawrence is determined to keep a positive mindset.
“I always go into matches thinking I’m going to win,” Lawrence said. “I’m excited to see what the future holds for me and the rest of this season. Hopefully I can get to states and make the podium.”