Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 2, 1995 TAG: 9503150009
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DWIGHT FOXX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Kasey gets up at 5:30 a.m. for his daily 6 a.m. run at the YMCA.
Then he grabs some grapefruit and heads to Fleming for a 7 a.m. run with coach Doug DePuy and some other Fleming wrestlers. His day, however, doesn't end with wrestling practices after a full day of classes.
Kasey does another conditioning run before calling it a day.
This is what Kasey believes he must do on a day-in, day-out basis if he's to make it back to the state wrestling tournament and possibly win a state title in the 135-pound class. Last year, Kasey finished fourth in the class at the state meet, the highest finish by a Timesland wrestler.
``Returning from fourth place last year, I think he's got an excellent chance,'' DePuy said.
He's got to win the district first, though, DePuy said. Although Kasey is the returning district champion, he must win in the regionals to get a better seeding. Kasey placed third in the regionals last year and beat Franklin County's Brian Jones, who won the regionals, four times.
Jones is wrestling at 145 this season, and his 22-0 record would suggest he's dominating. Kasey, who won the Big Orange at 135 with an overwhelming four-win performance, is not one to take his competitors lightly.
``He's pretty conscientious about things,'' DePuy said. ``He's never satisfied with his previous performance. He's got a good work ethic, and that means a lot.''
Even though he lost his bid for a state title last season, Kasey said that dream is still an attainable goal. His approach in wrestling is the same philosophy he has for life.
``In wrestling, you never give up,'' Kasey said. ``Life is the same way. You can't give up. If you give up, you lose. You have to keep plugging away and trying; you have to keep trying to do your best.''
For six years, Kasey has been doing his best at the sport. His wrestling career started in the seventh grade, when he was cut from the Ruffner Middle School basketball team and decided to attend wrestling tryouts. He made the team and hasn't looked at the hardwood since. He was attending Fleming wrestling practices when he was in the eighth grade.
``I guess the thing I've learned, particularly since I came to Fleming, is never stop wrestling on the edge of the mat,'' Kasey said. ``I used to do stuff like that.''
His strength as a wrestler is that he's good on his feet and he's able to ride opponents once he gets on top. Jonathan Rosser, a Colonels' 160-pound wrestler, helps Kasey with wrestling techniques, and Kasey does likewise for him.
``If it wasn't for him [Rosser], I don't think I'll be doing as well as I do now,'' Kasey said.
Rosser says the two ``work our butts off'' every day in practice, which helps during the matches. Like DePuy, Rosser is impressed with Kasey's conscientiousness.
``I'll tell him when to turn it on or turn it off [during matches],'' Rosser said. ``He worries about stuff he shouldn't worry about, but I think it helps him more than it hurts. He doesn't underestimate anybody.''
Kasey, undefeated so far in his final season, believes he lost some matches last season, like the regionals, that he shouldn't have. He was an impressive 37-4 as a junior.
``I'm working harder so I won't lose those matches this year,'' Kasey said.
Also smarter. Kasey has stuck with his diet and has maintained his weight of 135 while still maintaining his strength. Besides the morning grapefruit, he'll have an apple or salad for lunch and a dinner of baked chicken, ``anything green'' and grapefruit juice and snacks throughout the day of either caramel rice cakes, apples or any other fruit.
It might appear that Kasey doesn't eat enough in the course of a day, but he says he feels fine. The results on the wrestling mat and in the classroom would suggest he's right. The senior made four A's and two B's during the fall semester at Fleming and was exempt from his mid-term exams.
``I think it's mental,'' Kasey said of maintaining weight and strength. ``Some guys don't know how to diet, and they end up losing their strength. If you want something bad enough, you've got to do what you've got to do to get it.''
For Kasey, that would be the Triple Crown of district, regional and state titles at 135.
by CNB