STATE WRESTLING: Cards show flashes of the future`

Nelson County youngsters Andrew Ackley and Zac Lawson gained valuable experience through their successes at the Kentucky State Wrestling Championships over the weekend, experience their coach says should propel them to greater things in the future.

Wendy Ackley/Special To The Standard

Nelson County sophomore Zac Lawson looks for an opening Saturday against St. Xavier’s Shayne Smith. Smith knocked Lawson out of the 285-pound bracket, but not before Lawson picked up three wins in his first trip to the state meet. Teammate Andrew Ackley went 2-2 during the meet in the 113-pound bracket.

Wendy Ackley/Special To The Standard

Nelson County eighth-grader Andrew Ackley, right, went 2-2 at the state wrestling championships over the weekend.

“Zac is just a sophomore and Andrew is just an eighth-grader, but they wrestled levels above their age and experience,” Cardinal coach Sean McCarthy said. “We have never had multiple state placers in the same year, but both of these young men came just one win short of ending that streak for us. These two are wrestling like veteran seniors right now, so it should be quite a treat to see what they are capable of in the future.”

Ackley won his first two matches Friday to advance to the quarterfinals of the winner’s bracket of the 113-pound division, but was knocked into the loser’s bracket by eventual runner-up J.J. Killebrew of Christian County, then eliminated by eventual fourth-place finisher Chris Abernathy of Meade County.

“I think it was great getting the first two wins,” Ackley said. “I felt like it was a better experience” this year as opposed to last year, when he went 0-2 wrestling out of the 103-pound bracket.

“It was great to see how Andrew has progressed since last year,” McCarthy said. “Making it to the state tournament as a seventh-grader is quite an accomplishment, but getting a couple wins and coming so close to placing as an eighth-grader is something that will demand the rest of the state’s attention.”

Lawson went 1-1 in early-round matches Friday in the heavyweight bracket, then rallied to pin Doss’ Robert Green and score a 2-1 decision in overtime over Fern Creek’s Gabriel Lord before being eliminated by St. Xavier’s Shane Smith, who eventually placed seventh.

“I felt like I did really well for my first experience at state,” Lawson said. “There’s a lot of good wrestlers out there. I was glad to place in the top 12.”

McCarthy was impressed by how Lawson bounced back from the second-round loss.

“I saw a phenomenal amount of growth in Zac this tournament,” he said. “Zac is a hard worker in practice and he is really starting to develop his technique, but he has been missing a level of intensity needed to perform at a high level. He found that intensity at this tournament.”

Lawson said he was able to dig down deep and find another gear after his Friday loss.

“I knew to stay alive I had to fight like a dog,” he said. “It really boosted my confidence.”