Scotch Plains Wrestler Gets Chance for State Tournament Glory

He gave up soccer and track to concentrate strictly on wrestling. Now, Scotch Plains-Fanwood High's Tristan Bundy is one step closer to his dream of a state championship, thanks to his outstanding runner-up performance in the Region finals on Saturday.

"I was talking to the best kids," said Bundy, "and they said it's the only thing I should  do. Soccer was my sport, but I had to concentrate on wrestling."

The District champion at 125-pounds defeated Garrett Gottneff of Mountain Lakes in the quarterfinals 11-4.

"I wanted to come out strong and dominate on my feet," Bundy said. "Neutral is the most important aspect. We start on neutral. I just really want to get takedowns, heavy hands, quick feet, stick to my offense."

It was then on to the semi-finals, where Bundy pinned Anthony Sorisi of Hanover Park in a quick 50 seconds.

"Tristan was on fire. He wanted to secure a spot to get down to Atlantic City and he did," said SP-F head coach John Scholz. "He was working really good out there. Came right in, got that single leg, was able to lift it up, score on him, and bring him to his back. Once Tristan gets a guy to his back, very rarely will a kid be able to get off. All that preparation has really paid off."

"I just wanted to go out there and work my takedowns," Bundy said. "I knew I had the match good when I shot my double. I missed him by a little bit. I went to feet to back to pin. I'm so excited. Almost every single goal has been accomplished this year."

Bundy says the key to his success this past year is experience and dedication.

"Last year I was cutting quite a bit of weight and physically at this part of the season," the senior noted. "My body just said no, 'we're down.' This year I'm at a comfortable weight, I'm strong, I'm doing the right things, going through the runs on and off the mat. I had a lot of goals coming in, and I've actually accomplished a lot of those goals."

The final was a tough 1-0 loss to Lou Mascola of Seton Hall Prep. All in all, Bundy has no regrets about how it all turned out.

"I had hoped for a good record," he said after a 34-win campaign so far. "A 30-win season was one of my goals. I'm happy to accomplish them."

Bundy got his start in wrestling a little bit later than most, getting his first real taste of the sport in middle school, instead of starting in the recreation league. He credits that decision with keeping him fresh as a senior.

"A lot of these guys are burned out," Bundy said. "I haven't been doing it long enough to hate it. I like it a lot. I love wrestling. The making weight is a whole other part, though."

Ever since he took the mat, he knew where he wanted to be, motivated by what others have done before him.

"You gotta want it," he said. "This is something I've wanted since my freshman year. I came here (to Regions) in 2006 for the first time, I was an 8^th grader. I had no idea what the regions were. I was watching the finals. I was seeing all types of things in this atmosphere. One of my friends told me if you work hard, you can be right in this gym, the very best, the talk of the weight class. I had a good campaign, freshman and sophomore year. That's when I really got serious. I made wrestling my only sport, turned it from 3 months to 8 months a year. Hard work. What you put into the sport is certainly what you get out of it."

Bundy has also had inspiration from another source, as he keeps an eye on the future.

"I most certainly want to wrestle in college," he said. "I've been keeping in touch with Darren Caldwell of  NC State. He's going to be in Atlantic City next week. I've been staying in touch with him the whole year and he's been giving me advice. Words straight from a champion telling me what I have to do. He told me to practice hard last week, stick to my offense, wrestle how I wrestle. He saw some videos and said I can definitely place in states."

Talk about getting good advice. Darren Caldwell, who hails from Rahway, won the NCAA's last year. He's a four-time district champ, three-time region champ and three-time state champ.

"I really have to place in Atlantic City," Bundy said. "That will look even better on my resume."