Observer-Reporter Athlete of the Week
Name: Brendan Furman
School: Canon-McMillan
Class: Senior
Sport: Wrestling
Furman’s week: Furman won the heavyweight class at the Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament by upsetting the top seed and defending champion Ron Tucker of Lockport, Ill.
Furman had the distinction of having the only pin in the Powerade finals, sticking Tucker in 3:40.
Furman came into the tournament as the No. 2 seed and opened competition with a pin in 4:24 of freshman The-Moore Kelly of Moeller High School in Cincinnati. He followed that with a 15-5 major decision over Derek Skeehan, a sophomore from Reynolds High School near Greenville. Furman pinned Derek Devine, a junior from North Allegheny in 1:50 in the quarterfinals and made it to the finals with a thrilling, 5-3 victory over No. 3-seed Isaac Reid, a junior from Kiski.
“I didn’t know I was going to turn him (after getting the bundle move on him),” said Furman. “When he started turning, I was thinking that I got him. I just wanted to push the pace. I don’t look for pins but they come with the takedowns, with the turns and using my strength.”
Furman finished third at heavyweight in last year’s tournament, avenging an earlier loss in the weight class to top-seeded Joe Hensley of Moeller for the bronze medal.
A great pose: After pinning Tucker, Furman played to the admiring home crowd with a muscle pose and a couple other things. Furman said it was not planned beforehand.
“I just felt that. I didn’t practice that,” he said after his ninth pin of the season.
Furman said he was only thinking about four words before heading out against Tucker.
“Not in my house,” he said.
C-M head coach Jason Cardillo said wrestling in front of his home crowd is an advantage.
“I told the guys all week we have to take advantage of being at our place,” said Cardillo. “We use our own (practice) room, get home at the breaks. He took full advantage of that. He went out there full of confidence.”
One of Furman’s strengths on the mat is his foot speed. His quickness allowed him to get into Tucker’s legs a couple times, and his good balance kept him from allowing Tucker to counter.
“That’s just from constant practice,” Furman said. “I train with the Pitt wrestling club. I have good partners there.”
Compiled by Joe Tuscano