Recording a wrestler's progress

Jon Denny started at age 3. Now he's highly ranked and looking for a state title.

By Joe Santoliquito

INQUIRER SUBURBAN STAFF

Jon Denny had no idea it was going to happen. He was an eighth grader at the time and was sitting in a banquet hall with about 100 other people. His club team was honoring Denny, and the coaches showed a video of many of his best matches. First, though, on the large TV screen at the front of the room, the coaches showed a clip of Denny's first match, when he was a 6-year-old. Denny turned beet red as he watched himself losing the match and then crying in the corner.

Denny may demand that his parents make a sequel after he is through at Neshaminy.

That's because Denny has come a considerable way from that day. The 5-foot-4, 112-pound junior is one of the best wrestlers in the area and is ranked No. 1 in Bucks and Montgomery Counties and No. 2 in Southeast Pennsylvania by The Inquirer.

Of course, Denny does not cry anymore when he loses. He also does not lose very often. Using an aggressive style, Denny has a 14-3 record this season with seven pins. As a sophomore last year, Denny finished with a 30-13 record and ended the season at eighth place in the PIAA Class AAA state championship in the 103-pound weight class.

He has larger goals this season: winning a state title.

"I think I could have done better if I set my goals higher last year," Denny said. "I think I hurt myself because I wasn't looking far enough ahead. I was just happy to be there. I wasn't even looking to place."

That was uncharacteristic of Denny, especially considering his wrestling background. He has always been successful since he began wrestling when he was 3 years old. At 9, Denny took fourth place at the Grand Nationals and second at Eastern Nationals in the 58-pound class. He has also won regional titles at the club level and has had success in high school.

Denny said he figured he had wrestled more than 1,000 matches. Neshaminy coach Mike Ortman said Denny had more than 70 high school victories, and with another year and a half left to wrestle, he could exceed 100.

Denny says he has come this far not only by using the wealth of experience he has gained through the years but by being able to handle the mental rigors wrestling can sometimes pose.

"I definitely think wrestling is a mental sport, because if you're not positive, you won't go far," Denny said. "I think it's the toughest sport because it is so mental. One thing that's tough is making weight. If your friends are out partying, having pizza and stuff, I can't have pizza. I have to get a salad. My whole lifestyle is based around wrestling. It's very tough - that's why it's so mental - but if you love the sport, you'll do it. Not everyone has that discipline to do it."

In 1999, Denny's devotion to wrestling was tested. He injured the tissue in his left knee during the first week of practice in November, and it plagued Denny the whole season. His knee swelled after matches, requiring him to ice it down after a match and apply heat before practice.

Denny learned the injury might require surgery, but he decided to postpone it because he felt his wrestling would suffer. He eventually had the surgery early in September.

"I guess I waited too long to have the surgery done, but I'm doing good now," Denny said. "I think I'm wrestling well, but I'm not at the stage I want to be at. I'm not quite where I want to be."

Denny says he is not hitting his moves as sharp as he should. Ortman, who is in his first year as coach of the Redskins, says otherwise. He knows the demands Denny places on himself, and he realizes that is the reason why Denny is so good.

"Some kids let losing roll off their back, but Jon lets it sink in a little bit," Ortman said. "The kids that reach the state level have that edge, that fire in the belly that makes them not want to lose. Jon has lot of experience; he's been on the mat since he's been a little kid, and Jon has a chance to finish with a real good career. We'd like him to finish higher at the state level, and we feel he's very capable of doing that."

To perfect his moves, Denny frequently watches himself on videotape to see what he needs to work on. He is not too embarrassed by what he sees anymore - because they are rarely shots of him losing.

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Joe Santoliquito's e-mail address is jsantoliquito@phillynews.com