If you want to know what drives Northwest senior Jason Edwards, look at his wrestling shoes. On one Nike swoosh, written in Sharpie ink, is “Underdog,” on the other, “Underestimated.”
Edwards’ assessment of his own image comes after a junior season cut short when he was declared academically ineligible.
“I think a lot of people think — bad kid, ineligible,” said Edwards. “This year, I have a lot on my shoulders. I have a lot to prove.”
That’s exactly what Edwards (24-1) has done so far, winning the 119-pound title at the Mad Mats and Grapple at the Brook tournaments. Edwards’ only loss came in the Hub Cup semifinals, where he fell to Delon Agee of North Hagerstown, 4-3.
Tonight at Springbrook in the 4A/3A West Region Duals, the spotlight will be on Edwards as Northwest will try to qualify for Saturday’s state dual meet Final Four.
Edwards is particularly pleased that his individual success has helped propel the Jaguars to two tournament titles. Last year, the Jaguars’ fortunes dipped precipitously when Edwards left the team.
“I let my team down. I let my coaches down. It hurt me. It hurt a lot of other people,” said Edwards. “It put a big fire in me to leave it all on the mat this year.”
Edwards has come a long way since his freshman year. Working in practice against Jaguar standout Sean McCarty, who is 25-0 this season at 125, has accelerated his development.
According to coach Joe Vukovich, Edwards sought out McCarty as a practice partner when McCarty joined the team two years ago. It also was Edwards’ desire to be challenged that got him in trouble academically.
“Jason took a tough schedule with honors classes. He was doing well. Then he let his guard down a little bit and it came back to bitehim,” said Vukovich. “But now he’s completely changed his attitude. It’s flowed to all aspects of his life. He’s a great person and he’s learned through adversity.”
Region duals
» Northwest (13-1) will face host Springbrook tonight in the region dual meet semifinals.
» The winner will likely face defending region dual meet champion Damascus (13-0).
» Northwest won its only region dual meet title in 2003.
