Willham off to another good start for Woodmen wrestling

<p><strong>N</strong>ick Willham rushed for 2,699 yards in his career and was twice named first team All-County, yet her continues to insist football is his second-favorite sport.</p><p>The Greenwood senior, a four-year starter on the mat, prefers half-nelsons to halfback screens. Willham’s career record of 102-40 includes a 14-0 mark at 195 pounds this season entering the Mooresville holiday tournament on Friday.</p><p>The two-time Johnson County tournament champion, is ranked sixth in the state, according to IndianaMat.com.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]<p>“I love wrestling because it’s an individual sport. You get out exactly what you put into it,” said Willham, who is now in his fourth weight class in as many seasons after having previously wrestled at 138 as a freshman, 152 as a sophomore and 170 last year.</p><p>“Everything about that is what keeps me going. It makes you want to work harder every day.”</p><p>Willham is a sectional champion the past two seasons. A year ago, he made it to the quarterfinals at the Evansville Semistate before losing, 4-3, to Columbus East’s Andy Davidson.</p><p>His sights now are fixed on Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in February. Willham, who plans to eventually wrestle at Purdue or the University of Indianapolis while majoring in computer science, believes he can win the 195-pound class at the state finals.</p><p>“I’ve been working out all summer, and I hit about 205, and the weight has kind of come down naturally,” Willham said. “I mean, I definitely want to win everything. I want to win it all. That’s been my goal since Day 1, and it’s still my goal.”</p><p>Willham started wrestling in the sixth grade after being introduced to the sport by three of his cousins — Doug, Luke and Chad, all outstanding wrestlers at Castle High School in Evansville.</p><p>“Watching them wrestle when I was little and them beating up on me when we hung out is what got me into it,” Willham said.</p><p>Greenwood coach Jay Yates notes that Willham’s success isn’t a matter of the senior simply overpowering opponents. Willham has gradually gotten better at other aspects of wrestling as his career has gone on.</p><p>“I think he’s improved a lot in his stance and motion,” Yates said. “He’s becoming more offensive on his feet, which is something that he really needed to work on in the offseason.</p><p>“He’s getting better angles on his opponents and getting some good takedowns.”</p><p>Greenwood has had two previous state champions, with Jay Farmer capturing the 132 weight class in 1978 and Mark Bless emerging as the state’s best heavyweight in 1980 at Southport Fieldhouse.</p><p>Yates feels Willham has the potential and inner drive to make Woodmen wrestling royalty a three-man group.</p><p>“I definitely see him wrestling at the state tournament,” Yates said. “He’s definitely on that level, and I would like to see Nick compete for a state title. He’s definitely capable.</p><p>“All of the weight classes are competitive, and he can certainly be the guy if he keeps his mind focused.”</p>