High school wrestling: A shift in mentality has unlocked success for Buckeye's Eddie Pinc

The evolution of Eddie Pinc is roaring along at a fevered pitch for the Buckeye wrestling team. A solid 29-win 106-pounder as a freshman, the junior has added a state qualification to his name and has shown no signs of slowing up as attention starts turning toward the end of the season. "I think he's on the podium this year," Bucks coach Rich Conkle said. "I think next year the sky is the limit. If he wants to wrestle (after high school), he can. He has the work ethic. He has the grades. He has the attitude." With 86 career wins, Pinc has the numbers to get it done at 113 this season. Coming into the week, he boasted a Medina County-best 22-2 mark in his weight class and already had individual titles at the Findlay Duals and Mike Lewis Invitational and third-place finishes at the Medina and J.C. Gorman invitationals. "Last year, he was still pretty intense," 106-pounder and drill partner Logan Cravatas said. "He pretty much came back with that same intensity and perfect technique, but this year he has upped his precision and intensity. I thank him for my success, too. He's helped me out with everything. Thanks to his pace, it helps me keep up in bigger matches." A two-time Patriot Athletic Conference champion, Pinc worked his way to state last season with a fourth-place finish at the Norwalk District. It came in impressive fashion when he beat Clyde Sectional champion Cameron Deiter of Bowling Green by 10-0 major decision. It also was the last match of the season that Pinc won. He drew eventual three-time champion Jacob Decatur of Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy in the first round at state and eventual placer Blake Shepperd of New Lexington after that. While his time on the mats in Columbus only lasted 11 minutes, they were 11 minutes that taught Pinc the next step he needed to take. "I learned that I needed to be aggressive and become a smarter wrestler," he said. "I really want to place this year and am hoping to be a state champ next year. Success does help you want more. You just can't get so far in where you don't want to do it anymore. You've got to keep that drive to keep going. "It wasn't great sitting in the stands at state knowing I wasn't going to be wrestling until next year. It just made me want it even more." What Conkle saw in his budding star on Days 2 and 3 of the state tournament was an athlete that wasn't going to be denied this season. It wasn't so much the agony of having to watch others compete as much as it was a hunger to improve and step on the mat as the hunted instead of the hunter. "When Sheppard came back to place after he lost a close match to him (11-9), he realized he was right there," Conkle said. "It was a winnable match and he could have been on the podium last year. "That apple out there on the string this spring, this summer and this season coming in has him very focused on where he wants to be and what he wants to do. It's the next step and it's mental preparation. On any given day, especially when you're at the state tournament, weird things happen and anybody can get on the podium. Anybody can end up a state champion." Conkle referenced 2005 state champion Ken Quallich as proof that Pinc can get it done. In 2004, Quallich reached the state tournament, but went 1-2 and didn't place. The next season, he beat Bellevue's Johnny Pelton for the title in a dominant weekend. "I'm focused on the next match, knowing I have to improve for the one after that," Pinc said. "That's what the other guys are doing. There really aren't days off. Every day I'm doing something, whether it's training in a normal practice or at dual meets. Even on the days off, I'm still thinking about what I did the day before." Contact Brad Bournival at bournival929@gmail.com.