Josh White was overcoming a difficult opponent: A bout with strep throat cost him 12 pounds, sapped his strength and kept him from two weeks of practice.
"My tonsils rubbed together and had blisters all over. I couldn't eat a thing," said the St. Mary's 171-pounder. "I was at 158 last Friday against Gilman and was too sick to wrestle."
But the next day -- his third on medication -- saw White back on the mats.
Blocking out the pain, he won Boys' Latin's Tournament for the third time in four seasons, pinning all three opponents in the first period. The effort was a repeat of his freshman season, when White also pinned his way to that tournament's finals.
Last year, White was runner-up to the state champ, Erik Fitez of Boys' Latin, whom he had beaten earlier in the season.
"It's my last season, and there's a lot of motivation inside me," said White, who ranks No. 2 in the state behind Einstein's Wayne Hutchinson, whom he thrashed soundly in a bout over the summer. "I want to win the MIAA [Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association], states, and place in top three at [National] Preps."
White (12-1, 11 pins) appears well on his way. His other victory was a 17-0 technical fall over Northern-Calvert's Jimmy Stone, who was coming off a 28-victory season. White recorded his 100th victory against just 19 defeats against Archbishop Spalding on Tuesday. His only loss came in overtime to Rob Horon, of Altoona, Pa., in the Annapolis Tournament finals.
"I've become a lot better on my feet -- gotten better, defensively -- from constant drilling," said White, fifth at last year's National Preps tournament and second in the MIAA tournament the past two seasons. "I'm kind of unorthodox, combining different styles. I make things up as I go along."
White, who carries a 4.1 grade-point average in honors courses and scored 1,290 on his Scholastic Assessment Test, has played an integral role on the Saints' No. 1-ranked lacrosse and football teams over the last two seasons. In lacrosse, he scored 40 goals with 36 assists during the Saints' 17-0 season.
Rob White, Josh's father, is St. Mary's vice principal and assistant to lacrosse coach Jim Moorhead, the school's president.
Rob White lettered in football, basketball and lacrosse at Boys' Latin, graduated from Salisbury State, and coached St. Mary's wrestling team during Josh's freshman season.
