TA Powers Up
Senior Key To Knights’ Hopes
Posted: December 11, 2012
BRIDGEWATER – After Turner Ashby High School’s Josh Powers took first place in his weight class at a wrestling tournament Saturday, Christmas – or at least a small part of it – came early.
Powers’ older brother, Jake, had bought him a present after coming home from a tour with the Marines, with the intention of saving it for Christmas. Instead, Jake gave it to him now – to celebrate Josh’s victory at the Harrisonburg Invitational.
Inside the wrapping: an autographed poster of Paige Wyatt, a star of the reality television show “American Guns,” whose appeal is not lost on Josh Powers – or his TA wrestling teammate and longtime friend Luke Kiser.
“She’s pretty attractive,” Kiser said of Wyatt. “That’s our favorite part of the show.
“…He likes her a little bit more than I do, I believe. It [the poster] even says, ‘To Josh.’ I was a little jealous.”
Powers, though, might be a little more jealous of Kiser’s state wrestling title.
The 6-foot, 180-pound senior is on a mission to make it back to the state tournament for the first time in two years this season. He placed eighth in the 160-pound weight class at the Group AA meet as a sophomore, but a tight loss at the Region III meet last season – this time in the 170-pound division – cost him a return trip.
Powers, who’s moved up another division to 182 pounds this season, said he doesn’t remember much from last year’s regional meet, admitting that he tries to block it out. But he clearly remembers how he felt afterward.
“I was pretty mad,” he said. “I just wanted to be by myself after that, because it was pretty disappointing.”
He wasn’t alone for long. Powers said that, even though his season was over, he was back on the mat with TA coach Marshall Smiley the next week, “just drilling on everything that I needed to work on,” Powers said.
“I don’t want to feel that disappointment again,” he said.
He’s off to a solid start so far, including his 3-0 performance at last weekend’s Harrisonburg Invitational. He got a big win over Waynesboro’s Kahwan Veney, who beat Powers at the Valley District meet last season and at a meet earlier this season. Veney could be a wrestler Powers must beat again to get back to states.
“It’s always a close match between us,” Powers said. “It’s kind of fun to test how much we’ve improved against each other. The strategies change from time to time each time we wrestle.”
Smiley called Powers’ wrestling this season “remarkable” compared to where he was as a freshman. As he’s gotten bigger and better technically, Powers has become a defensive-minded wrestler, Smiley said – and also more aggressive.
“I think you can really tell that he wants to win it, now,” said Kiser, who’s known Powers since middle school. “You can see it in him that he’s hitting his moves right, he’s working hard every practice, and he’s very aggressive now.”
Powers is balancing his high school wrestling with his probable future in Division III college football. A first-team All-Valley District linebacker and second-team tight end for TA, Powers said he’s being recruited for football by Bridgewater, Randolph-Macon, Shenandoah and Averett.
Although Powers said he has no college preference yet, BC might have an advantage because his father, Scott Powers, is an athletic trainer there. Powers has already used his father’s background to help trim down from 200 pounds to 180 after football season, he said.
Obviously, Powers is a key component for the Knights on the mat, especially with TA a bit shaky for a program that has won 14 straight district wrestling titles. While Powers and Kiser both finished in first place at last weekend’s tournament – Kiser, the defending state champion at 145 pounds, was named the tourney’s Most Outstanding Wrestler after going 4-0 in the 152-pound division – TA finished seventh out of 15 teams, behind fellow Valley schools Harrisonburg (third), Waynesboro (fourth) and Broadway (sixth).
Smiley said it’s the first time in his third season coaching the Knights that they’ve finished behind any district schools at HHS’s annual tournament.
“Everybody’s focused on the results and saying we’re out of this thing district-wise,” said Smiley, who has only three returning wrestlers from last season and added heavyweight Nic Moyers, a basketball player last season.
TA hosts a two-day tournament this Friday and Saturday.
“I think people are counting us out, but I’m certainly not,” Smiley said. “We’re young, but there’s also a lot of the season left, and I know for a fact that we’re going to get better.”
Powers, though, has more than just his football future and the wrestling season on his mind.
He has to make time for his TV sweetheart. When asked if he’s tried getting in touch with Wyatt, he said he tweeted her, and that she didn’t respond. That was his only attempt, he said, because “I was just focusing on wrestling – but I love that show, and I love her.”
And, of course, Powers loves state championships, too.
“I think I could be on the podium – I’m not sure where,” he said. “I like to shoot high.”
Powers’ older brother, Jake, had bought him a present after coming home from a tour with the Marines, with the intention of saving it for Christmas. Instead, Jake gave it to him now – to celebrate Josh’s victory at the Harrisonburg Invitational.
Inside the wrapping: an autographed poster of Paige Wyatt, a star of the reality television show “American Guns,” whose appeal is not lost on Josh Powers – or his TA wrestling teammate and longtime friend Luke Kiser.
“She’s pretty attractive,” Kiser said of Wyatt. “That’s our favorite part of the show.
“…He likes her a little bit more than I do, I believe. It [the poster] even says, ‘To Josh.’ I was a little jealous.”
Powers, though, might be a little more jealous of Kiser’s state wrestling title.
The 6-foot, 180-pound senior is on a mission to make it back to the state tournament for the first time in two years this season. He placed eighth in the 160-pound weight class at the Group AA meet as a sophomore, but a tight loss at the Region III meet last season – this time in the 170-pound division – cost him a return trip.
Powers, who’s moved up another division to 182 pounds this season, said he doesn’t remember much from last year’s regional meet, admitting that he tries to block it out. But he clearly remembers how he felt afterward.
“I was pretty mad,” he said. “I just wanted to be by myself after that, because it was pretty disappointing.”
He wasn’t alone for long. Powers said that, even though his season was over, he was back on the mat with TA coach Marshall Smiley the next week, “just drilling on everything that I needed to work on,” Powers said.
“I don’t want to feel that disappointment again,” he said.
He’s off to a solid start so far, including his 3-0 performance at last weekend’s Harrisonburg Invitational. He got a big win over Waynesboro’s Kahwan Veney, who beat Powers at the Valley District meet last season and at a meet earlier this season. Veney could be a wrestler Powers must beat again to get back to states.
“It’s always a close match between us,” Powers said. “It’s kind of fun to test how much we’ve improved against each other. The strategies change from time to time each time we wrestle.”
Smiley called Powers’ wrestling this season “remarkable” compared to where he was as a freshman. As he’s gotten bigger and better technically, Powers has become a defensive-minded wrestler, Smiley said – and also more aggressive.
“I think you can really tell that he wants to win it, now,” said Kiser, who’s known Powers since middle school. “You can see it in him that he’s hitting his moves right, he’s working hard every practice, and he’s very aggressive now.”
Powers is balancing his high school wrestling with his probable future in Division III college football. A first-team All-Valley District linebacker and second-team tight end for TA, Powers said he’s being recruited for football by Bridgewater, Randolph-Macon, Shenandoah and Averett.
Although Powers said he has no college preference yet, BC might have an advantage because his father, Scott Powers, is an athletic trainer there. Powers has already used his father’s background to help trim down from 200 pounds to 180 after football season, he said.
Obviously, Powers is a key component for the Knights on the mat, especially with TA a bit shaky for a program that has won 14 straight district wrestling titles. While Powers and Kiser both finished in first place at last weekend’s tournament – Kiser, the defending state champion at 145 pounds, was named the tourney’s Most Outstanding Wrestler after going 4-0 in the 152-pound division – TA finished seventh out of 15 teams, behind fellow Valley schools Harrisonburg (third), Waynesboro (fourth) and Broadway (sixth).
Smiley said it’s the first time in his third season coaching the Knights that they’ve finished behind any district schools at HHS’s annual tournament.
“Everybody’s focused on the results and saying we’re out of this thing district-wise,” said Smiley, who has only three returning wrestlers from last season and added heavyweight Nic Moyers, a basketball player last season.
TA hosts a two-day tournament this Friday and Saturday.
“I think people are counting us out, but I’m certainly not,” Smiley said. “We’re young, but there’s also a lot of the season left, and I know for a fact that we’re going to get better.”
Powers, though, has more than just his football future and the wrestling season on his mind.
He has to make time for his TV sweetheart. When asked if he’s tried getting in touch with Wyatt, he said he tweeted her, and that she didn’t respond. That was his only attempt, he said, because “I was just focusing on wrestling – but I love that show, and I love her.”
And, of course, Powers loves state championships, too.
“I think I could be on the podium – I’m not sure where,” he said. “I like to shoot high.”