Haddon Twp. junior wrestler unfazed by pressure

As Steve Nelson prepares for the NJSIAA state individual wrestling championships, scheduled to start Friday, he has a clear mind and steady hands, both of which were tested on Feb. 2.

The Paulsboro gym was a pressure-cooker that night, when the Red Raiders earned the program's 1,000th wrestling victory on a mat illuminated by TV-camera lights and flash bulbs.

Lost in the revelry were the Haddon Township Hawks, who fell, 59-6.

"It was packed, and I don't think our team was ready for it," said Nelson, one of two Hawks to stand up with a win in the historic match. "Our younger kids were not used to that."

A junior, Nelson wasn't rattled by the hoopla because he'd been in that type of situation before, at states last season and over the summer as part of the Wrecking Crew club team that wrestled in Virginia and New York, where he went 8-0 and 7-0, respectively.

"Performing under pressure doesn't bother me," he added. "Same with Hoover."

Ron Hoover, a senior, nipped Paulsboro's Donte Scott, 5-4, at 130 pounds for Township's first win. Nelson got the second victory, a 5-3 decision over Anthony Dawson at 160.

Nelson and Hoover will be Township's only representatives at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. No one on the team knows Nelson better than Hoover.

"Steve has his head in the game; he's in the right frame of mind," said Hoover, a Haddon Township neighbor who has been wrestling with Nelson since they were in elementary school.

"We practice together. He has been working really hard. He took third last year [in Region 7], and that showed him he's good enough."

Nelson didn't medal last season at states. However, with a 38-0 record and a bye in the first round, and with a 160-pound field lacking a superstar, he has a good chance of medaling this time.

"I sensed that I was going to have a good year," said Nelson, the last of three wrestlers in a family of athletes. "I felt stronger and more confident.

"I started [the season] at 180 pounds, dropped down to 157, and haven't gotten above 165. I feel real comfortable at the weight [160]."

The 16-year-old wrestler described his style as more defensive than offensive. He waits for his opponent to make a mistake and takes advantage of it.

His stated goal is to place in the top three, and first-year Township coach Brian Farnham believes he can do so.

"He almost always takes advantage of other people's mistakes," Farnham said. "He is outstanding countering the offense of his opponents.

"He went [up] three weight classes in one year, a big jump, and he is a strong 160-pounder."

Farnham, in his 11th year as a head coach, also liked the fact that Nelson was able to defeat Haddonfield's Rob Schlitt for the second time this season when they met in the regional final.

"He was able to overcome someone who knew him well, which is good," Farnham said.

The two could meet for a third time at states, and Nelson is mindful of that, especially since Schlitt, who lost by major decision to him the first time, closed the gap, 3-2, the second time.

"He knows what I'm going to do," Nelson said. "You have to change styles every time."