For someone who doesn’t think of himself as a natural athlete, Hunter Meys certainly acts like one on the wrestling mat.
The Shenendehowa High School senior often makes quick work of his opponents, rarely letting a match go beyond the first round before recording a pin. That tactic has led to nearly 230 career victories and nearly that many pins, a national high school record.
I’m usually focused on going for a pin, said Meys. `I’m more interested in going for back points (for a near fall) than going for the takedown.`
`That’s his style ` he wants to get a match over quickly,` said Shen wrestling coach Rob Weeks.
Meys’ record-setting pin at the Shen Invitational Jan. 5 was a prime example of his wrestling style. A split second after the opening whistle, Meys took down his opponent ` Ian Morgan of Cathedral in Springfield, Mass. ` with an ankle pick. Morgan dragged himself out of bounds to prevent Meys from getting the pin on the initial move, but on the restart, Meys turned Morgan on his back. Within 50 seconds of the opening whistle, Meys had his 189th career fall to pass Steve Mocco of Blair Academy, N.J., who set the national record in 2001.
`I wouldn’t say it has soaked in,` said Meys following his historic pin. `I’ve been very fortunate to wrestle with coaches who can help me accomplish this.`
Wrestling wasn’t Meys’ first sport. In fact, there was a point when he was younger that he wasn’t involved in any sports.
`I’m not really naturally gifted (as an athlete),` said Meys, who will be wrestling for NCAA Division I Boston University on a full scholarship next year. `When I was younger, I tried a couple of sports, and I wasn’t very good at it. So, I stopped for a couple of years. Then for Christmas in third grade, I gave my dad a gift by trying wrestling, and I found that I liked it.`
His father, John Meys, quickly began working with his eldest son, passing on the knowledge and skills that helped him win a Pennsylvania State College title during his high school career in the 1970s.
`I would actually wrestle him a lot, and he had to pin me 10 times a session,` said John, who is now an assistant on Weeks’ coaching staff at Shen. `If it didn’t hurt, it wasn’t a pin, and if he didn’t take advantage of a pinning combination I gave him, I’d probably punish him a little.`
`It definitely helped a lot,` said Meys. `It created my style of wrestling.`
It didn’t take long for Meys to show his skills on the wrestling mat. From the moment he joined Shen’s varsity team as a seventh grader, he was a force in Section II, averaging 41 wins a season.
`Back when I wrestled in the 1970s, we didn’t wrestle as many bouts as Hunter does now,` said John. `My best record in high school was 24-1.`
The last year and a half have been Meys’ best. He didn’t lose a single match on his way to winning the Section II and state 171-pound titles in the 2006-07 season, and he had yet to lose a bout entering the Eastern States Classic Jan. 12 ` the toughest tournament Shen competes in before states.
As the wins piled up last year, so too did the pins. Meys closed the season with a 28-match pin streak to get him within striking distance of Mocco’s mark ` not that Meys always knew he was close.
`It used to be earlier in my career that there was another kid (on the team) who was keeping track of my record, but he graduated several years ago,` said Meys. `So, I lost track until my coaches told me at the end of last season that I was close.`
To get ready for his senior season, Meys started training with teammate Adam Geleta, who is nearly 100 pounds heavier than him.
`He’s a good athlete,` said Meys of Geleta, who wrestles in the 285-pound weight class. `He hustles, he picks up technique quickly and he gives me a different feel. He’s willing to help you accomplish what you can.`
`The heavier you get, the harder it is to find partners who can challenge you,` said John Meys. `I guess the same thing goes for the better you get.`
The incredible part is Meys usually beats Geleta, despite the weight difference.
`It’s tough, but it’s great because he teaches me a lot and is constantly trying to make me better,` said Geleta, who is quickly becoming one of Section II’s top large school heavyweights. `If I didn’t wrestle him all season, I wouldn’t be where I am now.`
The training has worked well for Meys, as well. He pinned all of his opponents through the Shen Invitational to extend his streak to 42 consecutive falls.
Ultimately, though, Meys has his sights set on the state championships, where he hopes that he not only earns his second consecutive title, but also that Shen can earn another large school division team title.
`Hopefully, the team should do well at states,` said Meys.
The possibility exists that Hunter won’t be the only Meys standing atop the medal podium at states in Rochester, either. Younger brother Austin was also undefeated heading into the Eastern States Classic, and the junior already has a state title under his belt from 2005.
`That would be awesome,` said Austin, who is wrestling in Hunter’s old weight class at 171 pounds. `There’s only a handful of brothers who have won it in the same year, so that would be a great accomplishment.`
In a career full of great accomplishments, John Meys said it would be a fitting final act for Hunter to win a state title the same year as Austin.
`I think the boys get disappointed in their brothers’ failures,` said John. `I don’t see any sibling rivalry between them. They’re very quiet and humble.`
Aggressive, efficient and humble. A fitting description for the new national high school record holder for career pins, Hunter Meys.
`If you put a lot of effort in, you can get a lot out of (wrestling),` said Meys.“