Larry Westry Works Hard on the Mat and in the Classroom
Bayside wrestling coach John Stukes is building for the future. The majority of the team is made up of freshmen and sophomores. "We are going to be young, but our guys are gaining good experience." In a tough Beach district, the Marlins are not expected to challenge for a district title, but that doesn't mean they don't have bright spots. One of those bright spots is 189 pound sophomore Larry Westry, a transfer from Landstown that Stukes can't say enough about. "He does everything I ask of him." One of those things has been wrestling in a higher weight class. Due to injuries, the Marlins have been unable to fill all the weight classes and Westry was more than willing to help out the team by wrestling at 215 pounds. "It gives me a new challenge. I can't just use my strength; it forces me to use my technique." With his injured teammates coming back he will be able to wrestle in his own weight class, and he is quick to remind people not to overlook his Marlins. "Once we fill in some spots, we will do some damage at districts."
Westry is one those wrestlers who will be doing that damage. In fact, his goal for this season is to place in the top four at the State tournament. If family history has anything to do with it, he should have a great shot; his father Larry Carpenter was a two-time state champion at Granby, and introduced him to the sport at a young age. Westry is bigger than his father, (who wrestled at 126 pounds), and has all the skills to be a great wrestler. His combination of speed, strength and sound technique make him a tough opponent. Add in his love for the physical nature of the sport and you will find that Westry was born to grapple on the mat. When the subject turns to the one-on-one nature of the sport, Westry begins to salivate. There is something about great wrestlers and their desire to dominate their opponent, and Westry posses that gene. A soft-spoken, kind voice during casual conversation; his excitement rises as the subject turns to the action on the mat. "It's a good feeling," he explains. "I don't worry about anything. It's just me and the other guy, and I get to beat him."
While this season is full of promise for Westry when it comes to wrestling, Coach Stukes points out that Westry is a "hard worker on the mat and in the classroom." He also knows that his star wrestler will be a key building block of the program for the long-term. "If we hang together, in a couple of years we will have a very good team." Westry also plays linebacker for the Marlin's football team and hopes to start at varsity next season. If his fire on the gridiron is anything close to his guile on the wrestling mat, coach Darnell Moore could be getting a fine addition to his defense next season. After high school, Westry hopes to continue wrestling at the collegiate level.
