Few athletes can say they’ve been to a national tournament four times and never finished lower than fourth.
L.J. Barlow of The Haverford School can make that claim.
The two-time Daily Times Wrestler of the Year claimed his fourth straight medal at the National Prep School wrestling tournament with a second-place finish at 195 pounds Saturday.
It was the second straight year Barlow took second in the weight class. He was fourth at 195 as a sophomore and third at 182 as a freshman. Barlow went 4-1 in the tourney. His only loss came in the final where he was pinned by top-seeded Hunter Ritter of the John Carroll School in Maryland.
Barlow, who was seeded second in the weight class, won his first two matches by fall, beat seventh-seeded Ryan Parker of Baylor, Tennesse, 9-8, on a ultimate tiebreaker in the quarterfinals and downed third-seeded Zane Black of Wyoming Seminary, 4-3, to reach the championship match.
Barlow went 49-6 as a senior to close out his career with a 168-25 record. Teammate Mickey Kober was the only other Ford to earn a medal. He went 4-2 and finished eighth at 220 pounds.
