South Xtra: Ringgold senior conquers adversity
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At this time last year, Jake Wisener was at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital fighting for his life.
Now he's fighting for a postseason berth on the Ringgold High School wrestling team.
It all began with a cut on his right knee that became infected.
"It probably happened at the Tri-County Wrestling Tournament last year," said Wisener, a senior at Ringgold. "I wrestled in our next match against Elizabeth Forward, but I wasn't feeling good.
"I originally thought it was a fever. I woke up the next morning and my leg was swelled up like a huge basketball. My parents took me to the hospital and they told me I had a staph infection."
But it didn't end there. Wisener had to stay in the hospital for a week.
"The doctors told me that I might lose my leg, from the knee down," Wisener said. "I missed 45 days of school and my season was over. They sent my school work home to me and I did it in bed. It was really tough to deal with, but it made me even more motivated to get back on the mat and make the most of my senior year."
It wasn't the first time Wisener had trouble with that knee.
"In 10th grade during the WPIAL tournament I tore the skin from my knee, which is called Morel-Lavallee Syndrome," Wisener said. "I had to have surgery after the season."
Ringgold coach Bob Bove had never dealt with a situation like that.
"It was a pretty freaky situation," Bove said. "I've never had anything like that happen before. I've had my share of injuries, but nothing like this. At that point, wrestling again wasn't even a thought. I was just hoping he would make it and live a normal life."
Wisener felt fortunate to have someone who could relate to him in dealing with his rehabilitation process.
"Jarrod King [a former Connellsville wrestler] was my physical therapist," Wisener said. "He's the one who has helped me the most to get back to where I was. He even taught me a couple moves."
In June, after five months of recovery/rehab, Wisener was given permission to return to the mat.
"I was hitting the gym seven days a week since then to get ready for my senior season," Wisener said.
One thing Wisener had to do was gain weight.
"When I got out of the hospital, I had lost 25 pounds," Wisener said. "I started [last] season at 160 and was down to 135. I actually had to gain weight for the first time in my career."
Wisener worked out every day with the goal of wrestling at the Super 32 Tournament, one of the most prestigious preseason tournaments in the country.
"The staph infection made Jake even more determined," Bove said. "He made it to the Super 32 and won his first three matches, before losing the next two. It was an impressive performance for somebody who wasn't allowed to work out for five months."
Wisener has been even more impressive since starting his senior season for the Rams. He is ranked No. 5 in the WPIAL in Class AAA at 160 pounds with a 24-2 record.
"One thing we've been working on with Jake is his aggressiveness," Bove said. "He's very strong defensively and doesn't give up a lot of points. We want him to be more aggressive on offense. He needs to score more points."
His first loss came at the North Coast Classic, an Ohio tournament held the opening weekend of the season. He dropped a 5-2 decision to Solon, Ohio's Justin Kresevic in the semifinals and finished third in his weight class. His other loss, a 2-0 decision, was to Hopewell's Marco Crivelli at the Wheeling Park Duals.
Two weeks ago, Wisener made a return trip to the Tri-County Tournament and won the 160-pound title with four decisive victories, including a pin of Peters Township's Zan Kail in the title match.
"Winning this title is just the first step in the bigger picture," Wisener said. "My goals are to win section and WPIAL titles, then place at Hershey."
Wisener broke into Ringgold's starting lineup as a 125-pound freshman and posted a respectable 18-16 record. He moved to 130 as a sophomore and placed third in the Section 4-AAA Tournament to earn a WPIAL Class AAA berth. He finished the season with a 27-7 record after posting a 1-2 record at the WPIAL tournament.
Last season, Wisener had a 24-3 record while competing at 140, but the staph infection ended his season prematurely.
First Published January 26, 2012 12:00 am
