Clinton Shepherd’s mind raced as his hand was raised after the biggest victory of his wrestling career.
The Crown Point sophomore said he has had a hard time reining it back in since then.
“My mind was spinning,” Shepherd said. “It was crazy. Everyone around me was cheering. It was a great feeling.”
That’s how Shepherd described the moment in Fargo, North Dakota, on July 17 when he was crowned the 16U men’s freestyle champion at 132 pounds during USA Wrestling’s national tournament.
Shepherd secured the title with a 12-3 decision against Ashton Besmer, a California resident who had beaten Shepherd 6-4 during the 16U national duals one month earlier. But after reviewing the tape of the first match, Shepherd thought he had found a weakness that he could exploit.
“When I first wrestled him, I was flat-footed,” Shepherd said. “I watched one of his other matches and didn’t think his gas tank was that good. I was thinking that, if I kept the pressure on him, I’d get him tired and he’d mess up — and that’s exactly what happened.”
Devoting extra time to film study is indicative of Shepherd’s commitment to wrestling, according to Crown Point coach Branden Lorek.
“He’s a great student of the sport and constantly looking to learn more and improve his wrestling,” Lorek said. “He’s not afraid to seek out help from whomever is willing to help him. If that means he has to go to a late-night training session or go down to Indianapolis to work with people, he’ll do it.”
Shepherd had to help himself on the morning of the tournament, however, after he initially weighed in at 0.4 pounds over the limit.
“I had to work off a little extra weight in the morning,” he said. “But that’s just something you have to do sometimes. My legs were feeling it, but that doesn’t matter when you’re in a tournament like that. You just kick it into overdrive and do what you’ve got to do.”
Shepherd’s extra energy is part of his overall preparation for freestyle, which he prefers over folkstyle during the high school season.
“It’s a pace thing, so you have to be really conditioned,” he said. “You’re always on your feet in freestyle, so the better shape you’re in, the more successful you’ll be.”
Shepherd had plenty of success during his first high school season too. He went 32-4 at 138 pounds, finishing as the state runner-up. His loss to Warren Central senior Kyrel Leavell in the state championship match was his only defeat against an in-state opponent, and it gave Shepherd an idea of what was missing from his training.
“My loss at the end of the year really showed me what it takes to be successful during the high school season,” he said. “When you’re drilling, you can’t just take a guy down, get up, bounce around one or two times, and get back into it. You have to stay on the guy and make him get back up, so both of the guys are always going, always working the entire time with no breaks.”
Shepherd was enjoying a brief break, though, as he spoke from a family vacation in Canada. On the morning after the state championship match, for instance, he was back on the mat for a private lesson, preparing for summer tournaments like the freestyle nationals.
Shepherd said winning a national championship didn’t satisfy his appetite for success.
“I’m even hungrier now,” he said. “That was just a steppingstone. I believe I have more in store, and it’s just going to unfold from here.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter.
