White brings home state title
HERSHEY - It wasn't easy but Athens' David White got his PIAA title with a thrilling 5-3 win over Bethlehem Catholic's Randy Cruz.
The first round was a virtual standoff as neither could score. In the second White started on bottom, but couldn't score any escape points. In fact, Cruz nabbed two back points with a tilt to take a 2-0 lead into the third.
White decided to start the third neutral, giving Cruz a 3-0 lead to start the round.
As the round progressed White continued to work for that takedown, but Cruz was resilient. Finally, in shades of White's fifth place win last year, the Wildcat scored a takedown with about 20 seconds left. White then proceeded to turn Cruz and score three back points to get the win.
"Exhausted, excited, happy. It's the whole full bore of emotions running through me," White described himself after the match.
White had one word to describe his plan of attack heading into the match: "go." However, it didn't go as planned.
"I got out there and I was like 'uh oh, I'm not going'" the senior said.
As the match progressed and White got down 0-3 he was just looking to get back into it.
"Score. I don't care how just score" he said, "I'm not going down without scoring."
The Wildcat was the last person to know he had the PIAA 112 pound title.
"I didn't think I won," he said, "At the last moment I looked over and they finally put up five. I was like 'yes I won. I won, I won, I won."
The Wildcat had come close the past two years, taking seventh as a sophomore and fifth as a junior.
"It's awesome," he said about going out on top. However, White is already looking ahead.
"With one goal completed I have to look towards another" he said, "I'm going to college, I have to win a National Championship."
White is looking at either West Point or Lehigh.
White's father Jay White was in tears after the match.
"That boy works so hard," Jay said about David, "He's got Shawn that shoes up every morning to work with him. He's got Matt, Pat to work with him all summer long. His sister is his biggest fan. He doesn't quit, everybody doesn't quit on him and he doesn't quit on anybody. He's got the biggest heart of anybody I know."
The match may have been more stressful for White's father than everybody else. Even before White scored those last points his dad was still pulling for him.
"I was thinking 'you can do it, you can do it, you can do it'" Jay said, "Don't' ever give up on yourself. He never gave up on himself."
As the buzzer rang Jay had one thought in his mind.
"Oh my God my son's a state champion." He said, "He deserves it so much. He's the kid that feels anybody can beat him any day and that he can beat anybody any day. He can beat anybody when he puts his mind to it and he showed that today. We knew it was going to be tough, we knew the kid was going to come at him, that's what we were hoping for and it just worked out for (White)."
Athens' coach Shawn Bradley was emotional after the match as well, with White being his first state champion.
"That's what he's done his whole career" Bradley said, "He out works people. He's not the fastest kid, he's not the strongest, but I tell you what, he's the hardest worker."
Going into the third it was White's decision to let the kid up and try to get two takedowns.
"Most people think he's best on the mat" Bradley said of White, "I think he's best on his feet. We thought it was our best chance."
As White has shown throughout his career, a chance is all he needs.
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