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Seneca's Moore makes steady climb on mat

Seneca wrestler Nick Moore wasn't satisfied when he more than doubled his win total from his sophomore to his junior year. He wasn't satisfied when he finished second in the district or sixth in the region last March.

Seneca wrestler Nick Moore is declared the winner of a wrestling bout.
Seneca wrestler Nick Moore is declared the winner of a wrestling bout.Read more

Seneca wrestler Nick Moore wasn't satisfied when he more than doubled his win total from his sophomore to his junior year. He wasn't satisfied when he finished second in the district or sixth in the region last March.

And he's still not satisfied, even after a 16-1 surge to open his senior season. Moore is aiming for dominance, and by his standards, he hasn't achieved that yet.

"There's a lot of stuff I have to work on before that happens," he said. "I wouldn't say I'm completely dominant or anything like that."

Fourteen pins in 17 matches, most recently Wednesday at Paul VI, suggest otherwise. Coach Greg Bauer attributes Moore's success to an inner drive that stems from a shaky first two seasons - a freshman year spent entirely on the JV team and an 11-14 sophomore campaign.

"He just became a student of the sport, became dedicated," Bauer said. "He listens to what we ask him to do, and he's just improved tremendously."

Coaches worked on harnessing Moore's aggressive nature, teaching him how to wrestle under control. They pushed him to "set his goals even higher" for his final season, Bauer said.

But most crucial was how Moore pushed himself. His true growth came in the behind-the-scenes training that coaches can recommend but not require: a summer and fall schedule that included three days of weightlifting and two days at the Wrecking Crew Wrestling Club in Lumberton per week, plus local tournaments.

The results show in Moore's added strength - he has jumped from the 140-pound weight class as a freshman to 170 pounds - improved conditioning, and fine-tuned technique.

As a junior, Moore stood still too much. As a senior, he keeps his feet moving and pounces for a pin at the opportune moment.

"I just look for openings," he said. "Whenever I see something, I just try to hit it, and if it's not there, I'll go to something else."

It all came together during a first-place finish at the Hunterdon Central Tournament in late December, the lightbulb moment when Moore realized, "I can probably get a lot done this season. I can keep going."

He did just that until Jan. 11, when Timber Creek's Robert Shade handed Moore his first loss. Moore acknowledged that he wasn't mentally prepared for that match, that his technique got "sloppy." Then he washed away the memory, responding with four straight wins since.

"I let it go," he said of the loss. "It already happened. There's nothing I can do about it. Just got to focus on the next kid."

In that mentality, Bauer sees the difference between the underclassman who struggled to adjust to the high school level and the upperclassman who has reeled off victory after victory.

"When it's time to step on that mat, he's focused; he's in a zone," Bauer said.

How does a senior find a zone that yields 14 pins in 17 matches?

"It's my last year of high school, so I just wanted to put everything I have on the mat," Moore said. "So that's pretty much how I've done it."