Mar 12, 2016 3 min read

HERSHEY – In a way, Mike Carr overcame two opponents in repeating as a state wrestling champion.

His final-round opponent, James Duffy of Smethport, and the doubts he had about his injured knee.

Carr, a senior from South Fayette, came through on both accounts, disposing of Duffy, 3-1, in the 145-pound final of the PIAA Class AA Championships at the Giant Center Saturday.

Carr won the 138-pound title last year and has an 87-0 record over the last two seasons. Carr defeated Tyler Vath of Saegertown, 3-1, in last year finals.

“After I got through that, I was all right,” said Carr of trusting his knee to hold up in competition. “I also had an abdominal hernia that needs surgery after the season, but I kept that quiet. Getting through the injuries was tough at first, but I adapted and figured out a way to win.”

Carr’s season was going smoothly until the week prior the individual section tournaments, when he tore the meniscus in his right knee during a drill in practice.

The injury, while concerning, was not as devastating as say a torn ACL, but Carr had to convince himself that he could still compete at a high level with the injury.

“I started feeling comfortable probably last weekend,” Carr said. “It was just grinding through each practice. I worked through it and the pain just went away.”

South Fayette head coach Rick Chaussard worked hard to get Carr to trust his knee.

“I would say between sections and WPIALs that the knee wasn’t an issue anymore,” said Chaussard. “I started to notice in practice. He was a little tentative in the WPIALs, but he wasn’t in practice. Between WPIALs and regionals, he was back to his normal self.”

Carr made it to the finals with technical fall over Nate Bradley of Athens in the quarterfinals and followed it with a 7-1 decision over A.J. Kostyak of Boiling Springs. Carr was supposed to wrestle Caleb Clymer of Northwest Lehigh in the semifinals but Clymer was forced to forfeit because of an injury.

“I was more confident with my leg the past two weeks,” he said.

Carr said his older brothers, Nick and Seth, were responsible for his success in wrestling. After he defeated Duffy, Carr rushed to celebrate with Nick in the stands.

“If it weren’t for Nick and Seth, I wouldn’t be wrestling,” Carr said. “They made me what I am. I am their end product.”