LA CROSSE — Martez Sheard enjoyed plenty of success last season as a freshman for the Aquinas High School wrestling team.
He won the Bi-State Classic and 42 matches on his way to a fifth-place finish at 120 pounds in the Division 3 bracket of the WIAA state tournament.
But wrestlers take defeat personally, and placing didn’t sit well with Sheard, so he played around with his approach in preparation for his sophomore season.
The underhook was an appealing addition for Sheard, and coach Deke Stanek agreed because it was something Sheard could use for many combinations.
That was on full display Tuesday night as Sheard became a two-time Bi-State champion at the La Crosse Center.
Sheard (18-1) used the underhook to set up two big takedowns — one just second into the 126-pound title match — on the way to a 7-2 victory over fourth-seeded Logan Pearson (15-2) of Chatfield.
“I’ve been working a lot more with the underhook,” Sheard said after beating Pearson. “Throw-by, that’s how I got the first (takedown).
“Quick underhook, it’s tough for people to defend it, especially if you go really fast at it and use your strength.”
Speed and strength were also on Sheard’s offseason list of things to improve, and he put it all together for an impressive win over a good wrestler who never had a good opportunity at offense.
Sheard escaped danger in a couple of scrambles, but that was about it. Sheard maintained control for nearly all of the match.
“Tez is hyper competitive and really hard to score on,” Stanek said. “I love watching him wrestle, and he’s so athletic that there’s always something in those big matches that makes you go, ‘Wow, I can’t believe he just did that.’
“But I’ve kind of stopped being surprised by that because I’ve gotten so used to him wowing us in one of those big matches.”
Some might point to the quick takedown as that moment against Pearson. Stanek, however, liked a series of moves that Sheard unleashed that didn’t lead to points later in the match.
Even when Sheard wasn’t scoring, he was making Pearson work.
A dominant youth wrestler who adapted quickly to the high school level, Sheard also had to accept some tough moments as a freshman.
An early loss at the state tournament put him in the consolation bracket, and that isn’t a place he calls home often. Instead of letting the loss occupy his head, Sheard battled through and completed his tournament — and season — with a victory.
But that loss did push him to improve for his sophomore season.
“I was happy that I placed, but I wanted to win it,” said Sheard, who led 4-0 after two periods and recorded his final takedown for a 7-1 lead with 55 seconds remaining. “I was upset, and it fueled me. I had to bounce back and go from there.”
That led him to the underhook as a possible solution and incorporating that helped him win Bi-State for a second time.
“We knew that when he got to his underhooks, he’d get to his offense,” Stanek said of the championship match. “When (Pearson) had to get on the offensive when he was down, that’s where Tez is at his best because he has great defense and excellent re-attacks.
“Once (Sheard) got that first score, it put that young man behind the eight-ball a little bit.”
