By: Ken Weingartner
As a returning Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament wrestling champion, one might expect Matt Clancy to have a bull’s-eye on his back this season.
Instead, Clancy says he is carrying a label. It reads: "Fluke."
But after the first few weeks of this season, the South Brunswick High senior is in the process of ripping up the tag. Clancy is 8-0 and last week won the title at 189 pounds in the Mustang Classic at Brick Memorial High School. The tourney is arguably the state’s toughest holiday event.
"I’ve got to pick it up this year," Clancy said. "It’s my last year, I’ve got to go out with a bang. Basically, I’ve got a lot harder work ethic, more of a drive. When I get on the mat, it’s something else."
Last year, Clancy provided the most stunning result in the GMCT, winning the title at 215 pounds as the No. 6 seed. A few weeks later, he provided an equally shocking performance when he failed to finish among the top three in his weight class at the District 20 Tournament. He was pinned in the semifinal by Monroe’s Justin Lupo, a wrestler he defeated 21-6 in the GMCT, then lost in the consolation final.
"I can’t overlook anybody this year," said Clancy, who finished 17-11 last season. "After (the GMCT) my head was too high. After I screwed up in districts, people thought I was a fluke. But they’ll see differently this year."
Clancy is wrestling at his natural weight of 189 this season, which has paid off in terms of quickness without sacrificing strength. He was taken down only once in his first eight matches, by Mike Elshamy of Brick in the Mustang Classic title bout. Clancy rallied in the third period for a 4-3 win.
The championship was a statement, although Clancy didn’t fully realize it at the time. Elshamy was the District 23 and Region 6 champion last season. In the Mustang Classic semifinals, Clancy won 5-1 over Phillipsburg’s Bryan Kopesky, a regional qualifier last year.
"Last year, I was always looking around and asking, ‘How good is this kid, how good is that kid?’ Now I don’t worry about it," Clancy said. "I didn’t know the kid from Brick was the region champ until after I beat him and read it in the newspaper."
Another key so far this season for Clancy has been his ability to maintain his focus and his stamina.
"A year ago, I probably would have been dead in the third period and let the (Elshamy) match slip away," Clancy said. "I didn’t have my head on straight at the end of last year. You could hear me breathing in the stands; I’d be dying. This season, I can last six minutes."
Clancy credited coach Joe Dougherty for his improved conditioning.
"I’m not big into conditioning, but he is," Clancy said with a laugh. "We never stop drilling. He’s running us, working us. I’m sore when I get home.
"After I win, just seeing Dougherty’s face drives me," he added. "He’s done a lot for me, keeping me together both as a wrestler and as a person. I want to succeed for myself, and for him. That’s a big part."
Clancy is pleased with his success this season, but he’s not satisfied. He knows there is room to improve before the GMC and district tourneys in February.
"My technique isn’t that good right now, but I’m getting away with it," Clancy said. "I need to continue working to improve that. I’ve lost a lot of weight and I’ve got a lot of speed now. I gave up a lot of weight to guys I was wrestling last year, and I think that was my problem. This year, I’ve got my speed back and it’s good wrestling somebody around my weight."
In addition to his physical improvement, Clancy has worked on his mental approach.
"Wrestling, I think, is more mental than physical," he said. "About an hour before my match I’m pacing around, thinking about what my opponent can do, what I’m going to do. I go through all the situations. When I get on the mat, I don’t know how to put it. I get in a mode. I’m not myself, I’m just something else."
As might be expected, Clancy has set lofty goals for the rest of the campaign.
"I’m going to Atlantic City (for the state tournament), placing there, and making a name for myself," Clancy said. "Last year, I had a big letdown.
"It was a fluke."
Maybe he’s not ripping up that label, after all. He might just be removing it and placing it in a more appropriate spot.
BACKPOINTS: Derek Shelcusky also reached the finals at the Mustang Classic, losing in the title match at 215 pounds. Shelcusky’s foe in the final was Dave Zabriskie of High Point, who will attend Iowa State in the fall on a wrestling scholarship. The Vikings’ Justin DelPiano finished fourth at 145.
