Will Rowe

Will Rowe: The Inside “Trip”

By Morgan D. Garrett

Meeting Will Rowe for the first time, you don’t immediately think,

“This kid could whip the snot out of everyone in the US.”

What you see is a slightly quiet, very sweet and gentle young man who enjoys helping little kids learn about his favorite sport, wrestling. But what you don’t see is better. Beneath the surface, Will has the heart of a champion, the determination of a pit bull and the character of someone who really has a purpose.

It is important to know, Will didn’t start wrestling until the 8^th grade. He began in Springtown with Andy and Renee Rinehart in their gym. He didn’t wrestle at all in high school as a freshman; his school didn’t have a program. But destiny claimed Will Rowe and said,

“YOU WILL BE GREAT”.

His family soon had to move because of his parents’ job situations. Will moved to Azle, enrolled in high school and began his UIL wrestling career. After establishing himself in the Azle program, his family was forced to move once again, this time to Arlington. This was the move that changed Will Rowe and his developing style. The rest is now Texas Wrestling history filed under, “How To Build an ALL AMERICAN.”

Jeff, his dad, says they heard thumping and sliding on the ceiling every night until midnight or later the minute Will began educating himself about the sport of wrestling. Will practiced technique BEFORE he learned to “work out”. He read books on coaching, moves and everything else about wrestling he could find and practiced in his room every night until his parents would finally force him to go to bed. From the minute Will discovered wrestling, he was a man on fire. Now his passion for wrestling has paid off. Will Rowe is the undisputed takedown king. He has two UIL State Championships, UIL MOW 2004, and UIL State runner up (sophomore year) notched on his High School career. Topping it all off, Will placed 2^nd at the Senior Nationals in double overtime wrestling what was called the “match of the tournament.” A major accomplishment starting your wrestling career in the 8^th grade when others in the tournament cut their teeth on wrestling shoes. Will worked hard for all of this and he destroyed everyone he came up against. Senior Nationals is known as the “Big Show” for high school seniors, this event caps off the most spectacular scholastic careers. Will went in unseeded, signing in the day of weigh-ins and relentlessly showed the best wrestlers in the nation he was the one to watch. A little untraditional, but remember, it is Will Rowe.

The first time I saw and met Will was during the Cotton Bowl Classic Wrestling Tournament 2002. Andy Rinehart walked over specifically to grab a group of us. We needed to come watch this “kid” he knew. Andy said this boy was probably the best wrestler he had ever seen. Will just happened to be wrestling Keegan Mueller, also known as our 160lb. All American. They were both juniors at the time and Keegan was the 130 UIL State Champion. Will had just been to his first UIL State tournament as sophomore and placed runner up to Hebron’s 140 Jake Jackson. Although this was a great match and you could tell Will was excellent, the best match I saw that day was Will “practicing” on a different wrestler. Will’s dad, Jeff, was telling him to “pin already!” Typical to Will, he had run the score up ridiculously high, literally football score high, and was practicing different moves and holds on his opponent until time ran out. He did this at a Texas National Tournament. OK, so he’s good, really, really good.

I really believe Will shined so bright at the Senior Nationals because as he wrestles, unlike others, he gets exponentially stronger as the match goes on. He is deceptively calm and then pounces like a lion. You can literally see in a match when he has his opponents’ weak spot, then it’s all over, 28-12, 26-11, 22-8 and on and on. You see it over and over again. You can never get tired of watching Will, you always know it will be the match of the tournament. He is arguably the best wrestler to ever come out of Texas.

I spoke with Will about a few of his favorite things. Number one of course is wrestling and he is absolutely devoted to helping others learn. Little kids, big kids, anyone who wants to wrestle. He’s a great coach. Favorite move—“Cut and Duck”, it means you let the other guy beat himself down to the mat without ever touching him. Again, this is a smart guy. Signature move—of course, the famous inside trip he used taking down #1 Senior Nationals seed Chris Hand – the 6’1 152 Will dumped on his back twice. As we discussed hardest wrestled matches, the Poeta match came up, but Will had a few more to add. He named specifically Eric Tanenbaum from Il whom he called an “animal and brutal” and Chris Hand. Hand was difficult because Will could shoot on him and pull up the leg, but he couldn’t pull it up high and hard enough to take the extremely lanky Hand’s foot off the ground. In Will’s opinion, Poeta was so difficult because he “transported”. Imagine tying up with someone and they get away, the next thing that happens is they shoot so fast you can’t see their shot. Poeta was lethal fast, Will could literally not “see” when Poeta shot on him. But Will is the better wrestler, Will killed Poeta on his feet, supposedly where Poeta is at his best. Not with Will. He dropped Poeta like a rock, twice. Something no one else has accomplished all year. Will says he considers Poeta meeting Garvin in the Semi’s a gift from God. The meeting with Salazar in his own journey to the finals put him in the top spot on his side of the bracket before the match was wrestled. On a more personal note, Will also has excellent taste in movies citing “Gone With the Wind”, “Citizen Kane” and “The Matrix” as his favorites.

Will he dazzle in the NCAA like he does now? Without a doubt, Will is far and away a premier talent on his own. Imagine what will happen when a college level coach gets his ear. Will has been blessed to have good coaching through High School but I think the actual “credit” for Will’s excellence lies within himself. He works and prepares for battle like no one else. He is intense like no one else. Will can find his zone at a tournament and stay there. As a matter of fact, he can stay there so much; he received the “Lost and Found” award from his teammates. This award goes to the wrestler who loses the most articles of clothing and equipment at each tournament. His coach, CT Campbell says if you’re going with Will, be prepared to pick up headgear, shirt, shorts, basically anything that doesn’t have to do with what Will is doing on the mat.

Will he still attend OU as previously planned? There is speculation he could get a better offer- actually, a lot of better offers. Will is the hottest recruit in the country. Slated by many to win in Fargo. Unseeded, walking in to weigh-in at Senior Nationals, Will Rowe from Texas who started wrestling at age thirteen. According to Mary (Will’s mom), Will and Wes (who answered the phone one morning and found himself talking to Nebraska’s head coach), the phone began ringing before Mary had completed the 20-hour drive home from Cleveland. They have been inundated with full scholarships and “what will it take?” from the most prestigious wrestling universities in the country. But right now, Will is not ready to step up and make a decision; he is a smart young man who knows when to take his time. The last day to sign is August 10 after Fargo. I know he won’t rush on this; he’s “enjoying the moment.” And no one deserves the joy of this particular moment more than Will Rowe.

The world is yours Will. We are proud of you and wish you all the best.

*We will have features on our other All Americans, Keegan Mueller and Brook Cramer, in the coming weeks.