Winners never quit
At this time of year it’s not unusual to see Corey Lose trudging through the dark, early evening streets from Milton High School to his Locust Street home. Lose, a senior 189-pounder for the Black Panthers wrestling team, makes the nearly mile long walk after every practice from mid-November until the middle of February.
It’s a weary walk Lose could easily avoid. If three years as a junior varsity wrestler — in an age when high school athletes walk away from sports when they can’t break into the starting lineup — aren’t enough to make Lose take the easy way out, epilepsy could be.
You see, Lose has battled epilepsy since he can remember. But Lose has also been a wrestler since second grade, and thoughts of staying home after school, playing video games or listening to music, isn’t how he chooses to spend his time.
Lose loves wrestling, a sport so tough that many try it, but quickly look for an easier way to spend their time.
Not Lose.
“I love the sport, “Lose said before a Milton practice earlier this week. “With everything I have going on in my life, it gives me the energy to go on. I don’t let the epilepsy bother me, I just go on with my life like a normal kid would.”
Lose was a starter for the Milton junior high team as a freshman and placed fourth at the Central Susquehanna Conference tournament. But outstanding wrestlers like Zach Perrin, Nate Chamberlain and John Hartley limited his time on the mat to junior varsity matches before the Black Panthers varsity meets his first two seasons.
This season Lose has been a backup once again, thanks to the growth spurt and huge improvement by Charlie Johnson and the surprising emergence of senior Ben Wiest, another Milton wrestler who has paid his dues as a jayvee.
But Bob Greenly, who is in his 18th year as the head coach of the Black Panthers, recognizes Lose’s talent.
“Corey is at a tough weight and he’s had success at junior varsity tournaments, “Greenly said. “He’s really not far off from being varsity this year. Corey could probably be a 15- or 18-match winner for us but he is just behind some very good wrestlers right now.”
Lose’s time as a Milton wrestler mirrors the three-year careers of Jackson Beaver, who graduated two years ago, and Justin Greenly, now a freshman at Bucknell. Beaver and Greenly were also stuck in weight classes filled with talented wrestlers, good enough to start for most teams just not the Black Panthers. But both learned their roles, and when called on, came up with huge wins.
Beaver had a stunning fall that put Milton in a position to beat Wyalusing in the finals of the District 4 dual meet tournament his senior season. Greenly had a big win his sophomore season against Pittston in the state dual meet tournament, and, as a senior, posted a quick pin in the district semifinals against Mifflinburg.
“Kids like that are good to have in the (wrestling) room, “Greenly said. “We like to have 25 or 26 kids in the room so that we always have someone to fill in if there is an injury or sickness. With kids like (Lose, Beaver and Greenly), family is important because they don’t put any pressure on them. They are happy to be part of the sport and I think they get a lot out of it.”
Like Beaver and Greenly, Lose came through in a big way last Thursday. With Johnson sidelined by the flu, Lose found himself thrust into the lineup, and after a pair of losses (including a narrow 5-2 decision to Big Spring senior Jason Kinsler who is ranked No. 4 in Class AAA at 215 pounds) in his first varsity action earlier this season, finally got his first career victory. Lose fell behind Shikellamy’s Jesse Savidge, an 18-match winner this season, after surrendering a pair of takedowns but battled back and decked the Shik senior in one minute and 42 seconds.
“I was expecting (Savidge’s) third shot, “Lose remembered. “I just dropped my hips and countered it. I was about half nervous when the match started, but on the mat I was zoned and didn’t think of anything but the match.”
Asked if his first win was sweet, Lose only smiled.
“My job as a wrestling coach is to prepare kids for later on in life, “Greenly said. “We are an extension of the school and try to teach some lessons they might not get otherwise.”
Perhaps we could all learn something from the young man who makes that long solitary walk each night.
FRANK DIMON covers scholastic wrestling for the Standard Journal.
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