GOING FOR GOLD

At the past two state wrestling tournaments, Immaculate Heart Central's Derek Brenon has wrestled his way into the finals only to find himself holding a silver medal.

Silver won't be good enough for Brenon this weekend, as the 152-pound senior is geared to be the first IHC wrestler to bring a state championship to the school.

"There's a lot of added pressure from the community, from the school, from my parents," Brenon said. "IHC hasn't had a state champ ever, so I want to be that. I don't want to let anybody down. "

Wrestlers across the Frontier League have also tabbed Brenon as their favorite to win at the state tournament this year, and at a group practice last week at Watertown High School, many were picking him to win when asked who was the favorite among them.

"I have to go with Derek Brenon," Indian River's 112-pound qualifier, Matt Gray, said. "He's been there a lot, and this year he's working harder. I think he's going to take it this year."

"I'll have to say Derek Brenon," Watertown's Josh Cox said. "He trains hard, he works hard, he's been there a couple times. He's a good athlete. I like to practice with him, I get better practicing with him."

Teammate Brian Kampnich also chimed in: "Probably me and Derek Brenon have the best chance this year."

The stress thrust upon Brenon due to raised expectations could make a lesser athlete crumble, but Brenon uses it as motivation.

"He's been running on his own and going to the judo club on his own," Cavaliers coach John Babcock said. "So, he's getting some extra practice. He's doing everything he possibly can to get ready and ... he's doing it by being determined and working hard."

Brenon's been hard at work practicing twice a day with teammate Antonio Doldo, a state tournament participant at 145 pounds.

"We used to practice kind of hard sometimes," Doldo said. "But now it's nonstop focus, crunch time."

Brenon also works out at the judo center that his father, Stephen Brenon, operates, and pitches in at his grandfather Paul's farm. Those activities help keep his mind off the tall task at hand.

"I don't usually lift weights but I'm sure working on my grandpa's farm helps me out a lot," Brenon said. "Throwing bales, I carry pails full of water and different stuff."

Unlike last year, when Brenon was undefeated, he is heading to states with a slightly tarnished record: 38-1. His only loss came in an overtime decision of 4-2 to Mexico's Ron Majerus at the Section 3 Dual Meet Tournament in late January. However, Brenon is relieved to have that one in the loss column.

"I'm really happy with my season," Brenon said. "I'm glad I got that loss out of the way. ... It's a lot of pressure coming into states undefeated."

Brenon is fortunate to be going to the state tournament with a collection of friends and teammates from around the Frontier League. During group practices, it's easy to see that the wrestlers genuinely get along with each other. It's a brotherhood of athletes who keep each other loose in the moments leading up to the biggest matches of the year. The comfort of that is not lost on Brenon.

"We room together and have a good time," Brenon said. "When we travel together it's a blast. I've known these guys since we were little kids so it's cool. We're all at that point, we're all going together and we'll all be there."

The state tournament won't be the end of the season for the IHC senior. Brenon will be competing in the national tournament on March 28 and 29 at Virginia Beach, Va.

nNOTE:Homer Dobransky, Carthage's 189-pound state qualifier, suffered internal bleeding last week after rupturing his spleen during his title match at the Division I championships. Doctors said the injury would not require surgery and should heal on its own. Dobransky will be making the trip to Rochester, but won't be wrestling in the tournament.