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Odds Are Favorable

JCC’s Skonieczny Looks To Come Home With Title

Nate Skonieczny of Jamestown Community College, right, begins his quest for an NJCAA wrestling championship today. P-J photo by Scott Kindberg

How good was Nate Skonieczny at the NJCAA Region 3/Eastern District 1 wrestling championships two weeks ago?

“One percent shy of perfect,” Jamestown Community College coach Kris Schimek said.

In other words, dominant as usual.

In being named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Liguori Fieldhouse on the campus of Mercyhurst North East, the Jayhawk sophomore posted a pair of early round victories before recording a first-period fall in the title match at 149 pounds to earn a trip to the NJCAA Championships, which begin today at the Mid-American Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

“He gave up one takedown,” Schimek said earlier this week. “(It was a) 99 out of 100 (performance), and we’re striving for perfection this weekend.”

Skonieczny, who was third at the nationals last year to earn All-American honors, isn’t lacking for motivation when he takes to the mat for his opening-round match sometime this morning. Because it was exactly a year ago that the Stow, Ohio native appeared destined to return to the Jamestown CC campus as a national champion.

And then the unimaginable happened.

— — —

Skonieczny’s wrestling resume is off the charts.

According to a June 15, 2015 online article by New York Wrestling News, he was a star from Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, where he was a top 15 overall recruit in the Class of 2012. During his prep days, he won titles at the FloNationals and Ironman, as well as being named the USA representative at his weight for the Dream Team Classic. In addition, he finished in the top three at the Ohio State tournament in all four years of high school, highlighted by a pair of championships.

The biggest of schools came calling, including a juggernaut program, the University of Iowa. Skonieczny spent a year there and another redshirt year — 2013-14 — at Kent State, compiling a 23-6 record, but he continued to struggle academically. Ultimately, he visited the Jamestown CC campus in the fall of 2014 and enrolled in the second semester of that academic year.

“We don’t have any community colleges that have wrestling in Ohio and one of (Jamestown CC’s) coaches got hold of me. It was kind of like, ‘Do I want to do this? Do I want to take another chance?’

“But in the end I made the right decision going back (to school). I really focused on school. … that was my biggest …”

Skonieczny didn’t finish the sentence, but Schimek, who calls his grappler a “Division I All-American, no doubt,” quickly did when the subject of academics came up.

“He’s been good,” the first-year head coach said. “We haven’t had any blemishes since we’ve been here.”

Added Jamestown CC assistant coach Kevin Strong: “It has just been the grades part … but he’s matured a lot, even in the two years I’ve been here with him.”

Skonieczny’s biggest figurative blemish was one that has motivated him every day since the national championships in Council Bluffs a year ago.

For the record, Skonieczny posted a 17-5 major decision over Kristian Holquin-Mendez of Neo A&M in the consolation finals to claim third place in the 149-pound weight class at the 2016 NJCAA Wrestling Championships at the Mid-America Center.

Earlier in the day, Skonieczny decisioned Cody McGregor of Niagara, 5-1, in the consolation quarterfinals; and then pinned Toby Hague (Rowan of Gloucester) in 1:30 in the consolation semifinals, setting up his match with Holquin-Mendez, which ultimately earned him All-American honors.

But it’s what happened to Skonieczny the day before that has been his biggest motivation since. After breezing through his first two bouts, recording pins over John Peeden of Colby in 3:38 and John Sherlock of Nassau in 1:38, Skonieczny was pitted against Cory Pych of Harper in the third match. In front, 8-1, in the first period, it looked like the Jayhawk ace would make it three straight victories.

And then …

We’ll let Strong explain:

“He had just scored two more near-fall points, he turned the kid to his back and they kind of rolled out of bounds,” Strong recalled. “There was a whistle on the other (adjacent) mat and both wrestlers just kind of looked puzzled for a second. Then the other kid started wrestling again and Nate just kind of (relaxed).

“He would have been up 10-1 and then he got caught and pinned. He went to his back and the match was over less than five seconds later. It was quick. … I’ve never seen anything like that. It was a fluke.”

Skonieczny rebounded after that disappointment with a 19-4 technical fall, but the best he could do from there was wrestle for third place the following day.

“Realistically, (the loss) brought me back (to Jamestown CC),” he said. “I felt I had a hole in my career still. … It drives me every day. I think about it every single day how bad it felt to lose that match.”

— — —

When Skonieczny takes the mat today, he does so not only with a chip on his shoulder, but the confidence that few wrestlers have.

“He’s tough on his feet,” Strong said. “That’s a style from another state (Ohio). In New York, were more known at the college level as traditional mat wrestlers. We like to be on the ground and score back points, and he’s just all on his feet.”

Schimek said Skonieczny has been wrestling more on the mat the last couple of weeks in preparation for the nationals.

“Even if you take everyone down, you don’t know if you’re going to run into a guy who is just a freak on the mat,” Schimek said. “You have to be good everywhere. (Former Oakland Raiders owner) Al Davis said it best. You just gotta win. It doesn’t matter if you win every match, 1-0. You just have to win.”

Strong is confident that a title is within reach.

“If he goes out like he did last year at nationals, I don’t see him having any problems at all,” Strong said. “That’s the thing with junior college. You’ll run into kids that are D-I All-Americans. They are not going to go D-III, they’re not going to go D-II. If they mess up on their grades, they’ll go a year at junior college and get back to where they belong.”

Strong noted that there is one potential opponent at 149 pounds that is “just like Nate … but if he’s wrestling like he can it will be no problem for him. There is one more guy out in the waters for him.”

Added Skonieczny: “(I want to) come home a national champ (and be the) Most Outstanding Wrestler. I’m shooting high.”

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