Boyertown's Wood eyes state-title repeat and a lot more
Jordan Wood, now a senior at Boyertown, was wrestling and training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado in August of 2014 when his story took a left turn.
Jordan Wood, now a senior at Boyertown, was wrestling and training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado in August of 2014 when his story took a left turn.
After two runner-up finishes at the state championships, Wood was a favorite to cement his place atop the state wrestling scene.
It was just a few weeks before his junior year started, when his dream season was derailed by a torn labrum.
He underwent surgery to fix his shoulder, but he wasn't sure if he'd see the wrestling mat at all last season.
"It was tough on Jordan," his coach at Boyertown, Pete Ventresca, said. "You could tell he was kind of depressed, because he couldn't compete. He couldn't be there with his teammates."
But the injury turned out be just a speed bump.
Wood returned in late January to unyielding success, piling up 20 wins without a loss, including 13 pins.
He used the momentum from his return to earn his first state title with a 4-0 victory over South Western's Seth Janney at 220 pounds.
Heading into this year, the senior hasn't lost at the PIAA level since March of 2014, and he's just getting better.
Wood was named one of USA Today's top 50 high school wrestlers in the country after an incredible offseason that saw him win the freestyle title at Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D.
"Right now, Jordan is very confident in his abilities, and rightfully so," Ventresca said. "He's pretty much a man-child."
Ventresca has coached his fair share of talented wrestlers during his time at Boyertown, including Alex Pellicciotti, Jesse DeWan, and Freddie Rodgers, all members of the Boyertown Wrestling Hall of Fame.
But Wood? Wood is different.
"He's just unbelievably strong and athletic," Ventresca said. "You don't see that combination, in a big guy, that often. He's something special. He's a once-in-a-lifetime type of athlete, for me and for pretty much our whole coaching staff."
With a state title under his belt and a winning streak soon to be spanning three calendars comes the thought that Wood's mind could wander. He's accomplished everything he could dream of at a state level. What's left?
According to his coach, that's not the way Wood works.
"He loves the sport. That's what he does," Ventresca said. "That's something you can't coach. You're either born with that or not, and he definitely has that intrinsic motivation to push him to the next level."
Wood is committed to wrestle at Lehigh in college, and he makes his aspirations very clear. After he finishes off his time at Boyertown, he has sights on becoming a national champion at the collegiate level. Maybe even further. He talks about the Olympics.
At this point, is there anything Wood could do that would surprise his coach?
"The only way I would be surprised," Ventresca said, "is if he didn't turn out the way he wanted to be."