Monday, January 24, 2005

Our local newspaper had a story on my son. Just wanted to share:

Athlete of the Week: Leigh Tobias, Johnson City
* Year in school: Sophomore.
* Age: 15.
* Height/weight: 5-foot-4/119 pounds.
* Sport: Wrestling.
* Notable accomplishment: Tobias won his first Southern Tier Athletic Conference wrestling title Saturday, defeating Windsor's John Yarosh, 12-3, in the 119-pound final. The victory helped Tobias avenge a 9-3 semifinal loss to Yarosh at last year's STAC Championships and he improved to 22-1 this season. His title also helped Johnson City win its ninth straight STAC team title.
* Athlete's perspective: "He's a hard kid to wrestle, he's very strong," Tobias said of Yarosh. "I just tried to stay away from him and not get caught. I thought (the match) was going to be a lot tighter."
On winning his first STAC title: "It felt awesome, even just getting to the finals. I hadn't got past the semifinals. The big thing is, it seems like with every event, you just try to stay confident."
On his success this season: "It's been quite a surprise, especially with last year and the year before. Usually at this point I have 7-8 losses. It's been great to do as well as I have. I tried to work a lot more on conditioning, being able to outlast guys. I feel a lot stronger this season.
"Last year, I was pretty good on my feet, but I've been working a lot more on the mat. That's where most matches are won and lost."
* Coach's perspective: "The way he wrestled in the (STAC) finals was amazing," JC coach Pete Capone said. "The kid beat him by (six) points last year, but Tobias turned it up a notch in the second period. He even surprised me."
On Tobias' emergence: "He's become a better leader in the wrestling room. He's leading by example, which can sound old sometimes, but I don't think there's anyone who drills harder in practice. He listens, which isn't always easy."
"His technique is good. If we didn't have some of the kids like (Chenango Forks' Troy) Nickerson and (Oxford's J.P.) O'Connor, you would think of Tobias as one of the best in Section 4. He's a 10th-grader competing against these guys."
* Favorite wrestler: Cael Sanderson (four-time NCAA champion at Iowa State).
* Immediate goal: Win a Section 4 Division I title and hopefully a state title.
* Long-range goal: If it doesn't happen this year, win a state championship in the future and possibly wrestle collegiately.











-- MIKE MANGAN



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