Bad knee no match for focused Crawford
FOX CHAPEL — Injuries may have gotten in the way of Mike Crawford's wrestling career.
They certainly haven't stopped it.
Butler's junior 140-pound wrestler picked up his second Section 3-AAAA championship Saturday night at Fox Chapel High School. He won the 119-pound section title as a freshman.
A shoulder injury late last season — a problem that required two off-season surgeries to correct — derailed him in the 2009 section tourney.
"Yeah ... There's a good chance he'd be a three-time section champ otherwise," Butler coach Scott Stoner said. "Injuries have hit him at the wrong time.
"Mike placed third down here last year, wrestling with one arm, basically."
Butler has never had a three-time section champion. Cole Baxter claimed his second career section title Saturday as well.
"I defaulted my section semifinal match last year because of my shoulder," Crawford recalled. "It was hurting and there was no sense pushing it. I came back and won the consolation final, though."
Winning is something Crawford has been doing plenty of. He will enter the WPIAL Tournament this week with an 89-23 career record, including 28-3 this season.
Crawford has been wrestling much of this year with a badly bruised right knee. He has it heavily taped when he competes.
"It's slowed him down offensively, for sure," Stoner said. "Everything he does on the mat is counter-productive to that knee getting better. But he's gutting it out. He'll take it as far as he can."
Crawford admitted to feeling pain in the knee when he tries to make an offensive move against an opponent.
"When it's wrapped, it's not as bad," he said. "It's not giving out on me or anything, bit when I try to push off it to take a shot, it hurts."
An MRI taken on the knee showed no ligament damage, but the bruise is near the meniscus and the injury could eventually require surgery.
Of course, that will have to wait.
"I want to get to Hershey and see what I can do there," Crawford said. "I feel like I'm wrestling pretty well right now and this (section) title should give me a favorable seed in the WPIALs."
Since losing close decisions of 7-3 to Cathedral Prep's Tyler Parsons (125-4) and 6-4 to Meadville's Nick Limano (26-8) in a double-dual Feb. 19, Crawford has reeled off five consective wins.
He pinned Matt Wolf of North Allegheny in 5:39, decisioned Hampton 20-win wrestler Brian Estep 3-1, then nipped Ryan Gibson (25-15) of North Hills 3-0 in the section title match Saturday.
Crawford and Gibson were scoreless after two periods. Crawford scored an escape with 1:39 left in the match, then a takedown with three seconds remaining.
"Mike's not 100 percent and he's fighting a confidence issue with that knee, but he keeps finding a way," Stoner said. "I admire what he's doing."
