By Bob Badders - Senior Staff Writer ATLANTIC CITY -- Stuck behind teammate Derrik Russell last season at 103 pounds, Jackson junior Tyler Biscaha knew that because he wrestled Russell, a district and region champ and state-place winner, close in practice he had a chance to do great things when given the opportunity. But this? Who could have expected this? Well, his coaches for one.
"If Tyler would have came down here and just placed sure we'd be happy," said Jackson head coach Doug Withstandley. "But would we be satisfied? Probably not because we know the potential in Tyler."
The promise that Biscaha showed in a handful of bouts last season and throughout this season has now been realized after his 4-2 victory over Eastern's Rob Deutsch in the 103-pound state championship at the NJSIAA Individual Wrestling Tournament on Sunday at Boardwalk Hall. By avenging a loss to Deutsch earlier in the season, Biscaha became Jackson's 12th state champion and first ever at 103.
"It feels great," Biscaha said. "I was watching Derrik last year and he won districts and regions and placed in states, so I knwe that if we went close in practice every day I could come out here and do the same things or better."
"It's absolutely amazing that you can have kids that are "JV" wrestlers step into the limelight and come onto a state this big and win a state title," Withstandley said. "He's a great wrestler overall on top, on bottom and on his feet, and he kept his focus at the end of the season and during the whole tournament. He did a great job of being mentally prepared."
When Jackson and Eastern wrestled in a dual meet during the regular season, Deutsch defeated Biscaha, 2-0. This time, it was Biscaha who did the scoring early before holding off a late takedown attempt on the edge of the mat.
"I was having weight problems last time but now I felt pretty confident and a lot healthier," Biscaha said. "I've been wrestling better lately because of that."
Withstandley, who won a state title while wrestling for Jackson in 2001, knows the feeling of getting your arm raised on the single blue mat at Boardwalk Hall. And he was thrilled to see a first-year, full-time varsity wrestler experienced the ultimate thrill.
"There's no better feeling than being a state champion," Withstandley said. "It lasts forever."
"Knowing people will come in our gym and see my name up there among all the legends like Scott Winston," Biscaha said. "That's awesome."
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