WESTHAMPTON – Going into his wrestling meet on Saturday, Alex Willard was feeling more pressure than usual.
The junior wrestler was one win away from his 100th career victory at Hampshire Regional, a historic milestone for anyone participating in the sport. For Willard, there was an additional layer built on top of it – he comes from a family of accomplished wrestlers, and both of his older brothers, DJ and Mason, also hit the 100-win milestone while they were in Westhampton.
“(He’s) living up to the standards of former [members] on this team, and living up to the standards of his two brothers who came before him that hit that milestone,” Hampshire head coach Todd Bryant said. “So I think it was weighing on him.”
Willard had been diligently keeping track of his win count, and knew that he was just a single victory away from accomplishing the goal entering Saturday’s tournament at Longmeadow High School. It brought up a mixture of emotions for him as he went through his pre-meet routine, when he was set to grapple with Longmeadow’s Michael Freda in the 138-pound weight class.
“It was a mix of nervousness and excitement,” Willard said. “Part of the nerves really had me thinking, ‘I have to win this,’ and I didn’t have too many opportunities to do it. But I also think the excitement part got me more ready for my match and pumped up for it.”
Willard has been wrestling for the Raiders since he was a seventh grader, and his determination and experience came through when he needed it most. He pinned Freda in the second period of his lone match on Saturday in front of his family (his father, Don, is an assistant coach at the program, and one of his older brothers also came to watch him compete).
He said the win validated all the hard work he’d put into the season.
“I was pretty psyched,” Willard said on getting his 100th win. “It really felt like a lot of the effort I’d been putting in this season really came together.”
For some, it may have just seemed like a matter of time before Willard hit the milestone. Knowing his brothers who came before him, some may have expected it out of the younger sibling, and anyone who’s watched him wrestle could see the talent and skill that he’d built up over the years. But despite all of those factors, it’s still a difficult milestone to achieve, especially during a career that’s been marred by COVID-19 which has severely impacted the sport of wrestling.
“I think a big part of it is just the willingness to work, and how willing you are to push yourself. Because half of talent, it really just comes down to hard work, to really push yourself to keep moving forward,” Willard said. “It gets tough sometimes after a couple of tough losses. You don’t want to keep pushing, but I think as long as you’re able to push yourself past that, you can reach that milestone.”
Bryant said he’s seen that drive and determination during his time coaching Willard. He’s been at the helm of the Raiders program for 17 years, and has seen hundreds of wrestlers go through his tutelage. There have only been a select few who have reached the success that Willard has, and he’s still got another year remaining in his wrestling career.
“To compete at this level, you obviously have to bring determination,” Bryant began. “You have to bring that will and that desire to become better and to continually improve. It takes a lot for any athlete at this age to stay focused. But he has made that decision – he said, I’m going to be focused, I’m going to be the best wrestler I can be.
“While I know he doesn’t directly compare himself to his siblings, I think it’s an unwritten burden on his shoulders, because he will be compared to successful siblings,” he continued. “But he’s got to find his own mark and his own measure.”
It’s clear that Willard has been able to forge his own path in his wrestling career. Though he had been waiting to hit the 100-win milestone for a while, he said it won’t change his determination to continue to improve now that he’s gotten there. He’s already got a new set of goals lined up, hoping to advance far in the Western Mass. tournament and qualify for All-States. Based on his success so far this season, he’s already well on his way to accomplishing those goals, too.