The Saline Reporter
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Barnett ready to cap senior season at state meet
After spotless regular season, 215-pounder looks to shine at the Palace
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: March 6, 2008
Even Nick Barnett didn't think Nick Barnett would have the kind of senior season — an undefeated regular season and a 44-3 record entering this weekend's individual state finals — that Nick Barnett has enjoyed for the Saline wrestling team.
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"I didn't expect this," he said. "It's great it happened. Obviously, I was happy when I finished the season undefeated. But I was surprised."
Barnett will look to end his already remarkable season and Saline career on a high note when he wrestles in the Division 1 215-pound bracket at the Palace of Auburn Hills starting Thursday. The appearance will be Barnett's second at the state finals after qualifying last year as well, but he said this week that he's much more prepared this time around.
"Last year, I was just kind of like 'Wow,'" he said. "The place is huge. They've got 10 mats all going at once. But now that I've been there, that's not going to happen as much."
Barnett's hope is that that experience will help him to place in the tournament.
"My goal is to win it all," he said, though he admitted that getting through heavy favorite Marcel Dubose in a potential semifinal (if he advanced that far) would be difficult. "Realistically, I just want to place as high as I possibly can."
"We'd like to see him come out with a state place," said Saline head coach Scott Marvin. "He'll be disappointed if he doesn't place, as he should be, especially after the season he's had. But it's one match at a time. You can't win your second match until you've won your first."
His success at the state level will come down, Barnett said, to solid fundamental positioning.
"At state, you always have to stay in good position, or you're going to get thrown," he said. "You have to always stay on your feet, always keep moving."
It's that attention to detail along with a dedication to conditioning that allowed Barnett to rack up the wins despite rarely blowing an opponent out on the scoreboard. All but one of Barnett's 44 wins have come by either minor decision or pin.
"It's a little weird to look through it and just see the one major decision," Barnett admitted. "It's just the way I wrestle. It comes down to being in good shape and pushing for the full six minutes, and scoring more points in the third period or overtime."
"He's a very smart wrestler," Marvin said. "He keeps himself in position to attack and he rarely gets caught in a bad spot."
Marvin said Barnett's efforts off the mat have been outstanding as well.
"He's a captain and a good leader for us," he said. "Our team hasn't been the 'old guys' over here and the 'young guys' over there. Nick's been instrumental in bringing the whole group together as a team. He's helped us tremendously."
It's that dedication to team (and the Hornets' success), as much as the individual success, that has helped make Barnett's senior season so memorable.
"With the win at districts, and beating up on Pioneer pretty good, and going undefeated," he said, "it's been pretty much everything I wanted it to be."
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