Ardmore >> Lower Merion junior 132-pounder Christian Hodges captured his second consecutive Central League Tournament wrestling title Feb. 9, defeating Christian Reed of Penncrest, 5-1, in the championship finals.
Hodges, who placed second at Districts and sixth at Class AAA Southeast Regionals last winter, rolled to the Central League title in powerful fashion, defeating Luke Fink of Harriton 20-8 in the semifinals. Hodges thought the Central semifinal was his best bout of the tournament, as he stayed in an attacking mode the entire match.
“There was a point in this match where I put myself in a dangerous position, but I did not break composure and it did not stop me from staying on the offensive, and scoring more points,” said Hodges.
“My short offense was working particularly well for me that day because I kept my head and hands down when my opponent shot on me, which allowed me to be in good position to reattack.”
Last December, Hodges was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the Radnor Holiday Tournament, racking up five pins in one day (four of them in less than two minutes).
An excellent student who carries a 4.8 grade-point average, Hodges would like to major in biochemistry, chemistry or biology in college, and go to medical school to become a doctor. He also plans on wrestling in college.
Hodges currently has a 28-3 record this season (as of Feb. 12) and a 91-21 career won-loss record as a Lower Merion wrestler. As a sophomore, he posted a 33-5 record through Southeast Regionals quarterfinals, where he defeated Corey Celenza of West Chester East, 4-1.
“That match [against Celenza] was my best match of my career,” said Hodges. “It was my most well-managed match against a challenging opponent. I consider this my best match because I refused to give an inch to my opponent and I wrestled all six minutes by winning one position at a time.”
Hodges started wrestling in seventh grade, while living in Virginia.
“I decided to give it a try – my Dad wrestled in middle school and high school – and it turned out I really love the sport because of the hard work and discipline it takes to improve,” said Hodges.
Hodges credits the help he has received from countless mentors, including Lower Merion head coach Jim Perri, his parents, and club coaches Greg Hagel, Chris Arcuri, Dennis Mejias and Brandon Slay of Pennsylvania RTC (PTRC).
“I have learned many valuable things from each of them, but what has stuck with me the most is what Coach Slay tells wrestlers after most PRTC practices: there is more to life than just wrestling,” said Hodges. “No matter how many gold medals you win or losses you take, none of it matters because wrestling doesn’t define you. Thinking about this really takes a lot of pressure off for the goals I have in wrestling because I also have goals in life.”
