SC Wrestling Weekly Stories and Photos - Sunday - January 23, 2005

Aaron Carter from Newberry

Heading into the recent Blue Devil Invitational at Dreher High School, Newberry High School
wrestling star Aaron Carter will take an impressive 25-0 record in; however, the road to
glory has not been a bed of roses.

Three years ago, Carter moved to Newberry and joined a wrestler team that had not done much
at all in terms of success. According to Carter, that was a very tough experience.

"We had a coach who tried hard, but it was just frustrating. I tried to help teach the guys,"
said Carter, who pulled in a fifth place showing at the state meet that season.

Coming into his junior season, Carter had a goal of capturing a state crown under then
first year head coach Jason Valek.

"My goal coming into last year was to win a state title. Every day I worked out with
Coach Valek and he started talking about winning a state title. I just worked hard and stayed focused," Carter said.

Last spring, that hard work, dedication and focus proved to be worth it, as Carter,
who was ranked first in the 152 pound class, captured a gold medal after beating
Wade Hampton’s Joey Federspiel. It was the first state title in NHS wrestling history.
Heading into this season, Carter had a goal of repeating as a state champ and is currently
the top ranked wrestler in the 152 pound class according to SCMat.com.

"My goal is to win state again and I have trained for it all year. By moving down to Class AA,
I don¹t think it’ll be tougher, but I am not concerned with it," Carter said.

Already this season, the senior has added some quality titles, as he won the Taco Bell Invitational
several weeks ago at Spring Valley High and took home the Most Outstanding Wrestler Award and
a $1,000 college scholarship. "Getting the scholarship and award was really neat.
I had seen they’d have that beforehand, but I thought it would be neat to get it.
I just went out and wrestled my best," Carter mentioned.

According to Valek, the honor was something special.

"This honor was the first of its kind to be bestowed on a Newberry wrestler and is a great assessment
of the type of young man Aaron Carter is," Valek said.

Carter defeated two state qualifiers on the way to his title and defeated all of his opponents by fall.
While this is only his second year with the Bulldogs, Carter is now just 16 wins shy of surpassing the
100-win plateau for his high school career. However, it was sort of by mistake that Carter stumbled into
wrestling during his freshman year of high school in Missouri.

"I went out for the freshman basketball team and was cut. I then turned to wrestling. To make the team,
I had to pin three guys to make the team and I did. I was on the ninth grade/junior varsity team. I had
never wrestled a varsity match before coming to Newberry," Carter said.

As for how he gets ready for matches, Carter said, "I do some sprints and mountain climbers and then
say a prayer. I focus on what I need to do," Carter said.

Valek stated that Carter’s attitude is what makes a difference.

"Aaron has a unique style about him when he takes the mat. He wants to improve each time he goes out
and works on his set ups and takedowns. He often has amassed a 12 point lead before he pins the individual
he is wrestling. It is this type of life practice that will help him excel at the next level," Valek said.

With several colleges looking at him, Carter made a decision several months ago and will attend the
U.S. Military Accademy at West Point, also known as Army.

"The Southeast is difficult for wrestling. I went to camps at N.C. State and Tennessee-Chattanooga.
When I first moved down here, Dr. (Mick) Zais, president of Newberry College and former student
at West Point, kept saying I’d be a good fit at Army and that I was Army material. I looked into
it and decided that was the place I wanted," said Carter, who plans on majoring in political science
with a hope of either going into law or coaching after his college days.

As for wrestling at Army, Carter stated he plans on doing it.

Will the military life be a problem?

"I don’t see any trouble," Carter said.

With resolve and dedication, it’s easy to see why Carter has chiseled his name in the record books at NHS.


Article by Paul Gable