Road to 100 wins becomes bumpy
BUTLER TWP — Opportunity is knocking for Steven Green and Nate McMaster.
Problem is, they may not be permitted to answer the door.
The Butler senior wrestlers are closing in on the 100-win plateau in their high school careers. Green needs 13 more wins and McMaster needs 22.
Only 10 wrestlers in the program's history have reached 100 wins. With the high school wrestling season currently shut down by Gov. Tom Wolf's COVID-19 mandate, quests to attain records on the mat remain in limbo.
“I don't know when we're coming back, how many matches we're gonna have,” Green said. “If I fail to get to 100 because I lost some matches this year, that's one thing.
“If I don't even get to wrestle 13 matches ... that would be disappointing.”
Green has been wrestling since fifth grade. He will not be wrestling after this season as he plans to pursue a civil engineering degree at Slippery Rock University.
“That part of my life will be behind me,” Green said of wrestling.
He is 87-37 in his career. Green is fifth all-time in Butler history with 188 takedowns. Garrett Boarts is the program's career leader with 231.
Green also ranks among Butler's career top 10 in pins, reversals and two-point near-falls.
“The 100 wins and the takedown record are what I've had my eye on,” the two-time WPIAL qualifier admitted.
McMaster is 78-43 in his high school career. He did not enter the sport until junior high.
McMaster is 11th on the Golden Tornado's all-time pin list and ranks seventh with 89 escapes. He needs 12 escapes to move into fourth on Butler's list.
“I worked hard all summer long for this season, just praying there would be one,” McMaster said. “Yeah, 100 wins is important to me. But at this point, I just want us to have a season.”
McMaster's wrestling career got started by Tornado mat coach Scott Stoner seeing him in gym class.
“I like being around these guys when they're younger. I've found a number of wrestlers that way,” Stoner said. “I can see the potential in them.”
Stoner admitted that he's struggling with the delay to the start of the wrestling season.“It keeps me awake at night sometimes,” the coach said. “It crushes me to see these kids not being able to do this.“All of these wrestlers put so much work in, so much effort. It's difficult because there's so much heartbreak out there right now and this is another part of it.”Stoner added that he takes the time to compile Butler wrestling's career and single-season accomplishments because “leaving their mark means a lot to these kids.”McMaster hopes to wrestle at Waynesburg University at some point — maybe after spending a year at Butler County Community College.He remains hopeful of getting a full wrestling season in for his senior year, so he can take a shot at 100 wins.“If the season's cut short, it would really sting because I've worked for it,” he said.Stoner has been sending out workout videos — some featuring Olympic mat great Cary Kolat — to his team during the shutdown.In the meantime, the wrestlers have been trying to stay in mat shape on their own.“Following the videos, going down in the basement and making room to work out. running sprints, whatever I can do,” McMaster said.“I've been doing workout videos on YouTube and a lot of running,” Green said, “and trying to play as few video games as possible.”Both want to qualify for the PIAA Tournament this year. Neither has gotten there yet and with the possibility of only eight wrestlers per weight class qualifying from across the state in a likely revised season, both are facing long odds.“It's going to be a grind,” Green said. “But wrestling prepares you to deal with such barriers in life. I'll always appreciate this sport for that.”McMaster is a three-time WPIAL qualifer.“Place among the top three in the section, get back down there (WPIAL tournament) and get after it,” McMaster said. “I want this year to be my best year.”Stoner has that same goal for the duo.“Their backgrounds in the sport are so different, but they've worked for everything they've gotten,” the coach said.
