Twinsburg Senior is Honored

Posted on December 26, 2011 , by junowebdesign

Twinsburg Senior wrestler Michael Labry has been honored by sportsink.com as athlete of the week from 11-17 of December.

Labry is very humble about winning this prestigious award even though he is only the second wrestler in the 27 year history of the Solon Comet Classic to win it four times.  Adding to this award he was voted for the second year running as Outstanding Wrestler at the Solon Classic.

Labry is undefeated this season (9-0) after coming of a 39-2 season in his weight class of 132 pounds.  “He is the complete wrestler you look for," Twinsburg's Hall of Fame coach Dave Mariola said. "He is good on top, good on the bottom and tremendous on his feet, that makes a great wrestler. I knew in 6th grade he had it. He was even special back then."

Labry defeated Ryan Skonieczny of St. Vincent-St. Mary 9-1 to win his fourth Solon Classic title. J. Jaggers of Bedford St. Peter Chanel is the other four-time Solon champion. The Tigers rallied to place third at this year's Classic and had eight wrestlers make it onto the podium.

“I've been wrestling since I was five years old when I began with my neighbor,” Labry said. “We still wrestle today as a matter of fact."  A youth tournament win in Columbus changed the way he looked at the sport.  “That was a big one, I will never forget that moment,” he said.

Labry realized he was blessed with a special talent by the time he reached middle school.

“I didn’t love the sports right away," he said. "I liked it, but now there is nothing like it,” Labry said.

He will continue his academic and athletic career at Ashland University.  “He is one of the best kids I have ever coached," Mariola said. "He is a complete wrestler."

Labry took the Solon honor in stride and viewed it more as being "consistent" and then began picking at his techniques to find areas to improve.  “It was great to win there four straight times but there is more to do,” he said. “I need to work on my take-downs to really get to where I want to go this year."

Where Labry wants to be in 2012 is on the top step of the podium at the OHSAA meet.

Labry posted a 4-0 mark at the Olentangy Tournament and now has two tournament championships to his credit so far this season.  “He is a quiet, level headed, hard worker and I have loved coaching him,” Mariola said.