RallyNorth.net

Workout competition fuels Kevin Sughrue

Monday, January, 07 By Dave Dyer
Staff writer

Whoever said that you're only as good as your competition must have had Methuen junior Kevin Sughrue and Salem senior Corbin Decker in mind.

Fine wrestlers in their own right, and involved in wrestling since elementary school, they've both benefitted mightily from training and competing against the best, whether it's because of their family connection (Sughrue) or who they know (Decker).

Not surprisingly, they're both enjoying banner seasons because of it.

Sughrue, who was 26-14 last year at 135 and 40-10 as a freshman at 112, has really stepped it up a level this winter as a 140-pounder. He's already won three tournaments and sports a perfect 23-0 record that includes 19 pins and a major decision.

Why the dramatic improvement?

"I did a lot of training in the offseason and improved a lot of my skills," said Sughrue. "I really worked a lot on my moves on top."

That would explain Sughrue's increased rate of pins, but just training doesn't always equal improved results. It's who you are training with that often makes the difference, and it's paid off this year. Over the summer, he worked out conscientiously at Gordon Smith's "barn" in Danville, N.H., a site that attracts standouts from far and wide and often features four-time New England champ Matt Smith, who is about the same weight.

If working out with Smith in the summer was helpful, it's continued to be because Smith hooked on with the Rangers as an assistant coach.

Even more helpful, perhaps, is that Sughrue works out on a regular basis this year with older brother John, a 130-pounder who is a three-time Division 1 state champion who is a stunning 170-5 for his career.

"I hadn't trained with him so much before but I'm training with him every day in practice this year and I know it helps," said Sughrue, who has a big match this week with Evan Connors of Lowell. "He's so good I feel I have to keep up with him. We go at it sometimes ... I can keep it close, but he usually beats me."

Regardless, Sughrue may need to adjust his season goal, which was simply "to do better than last year," because he's virtually at that point already with more than a month remaining in the season.