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By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports

(February 21, 2022 3:54 PM) Hanover-Horton High School wrestler David Fielder kind of chuckles when someone tells him he doesn’t look like a wrestler.

That is until the referee blows the whistle. 

Fielder won three matches against ranked opponents to claim an individual regional wrestling title at 119 pounds this past weekend at the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 4 tournament. 

The sophomore says he uses speed and years of wrestling to be successful.

“I have been wrestling since age four and use the experience to my advantage,” Fielder said. “I am not built like a wrestler.”

Fielder is tall for a 119 pound wrestler and ambles onto the mat without a lot of emotion or firepower.

He defeated a ranked wrestler from Manchester and two ranked Hudson wrestlers to win the regional title on Saturday at Lutheran Westland.

Fielder has experienced a successful season with a 41-6 record, first place at the Cascades Conference meet, a third-place finish at individual districts, and a win at the team regional – the only one for the Comets. 

He lost last year in the individual regional third round – during the blood round where wrestlers either win and move on to the state meet or start talking about next season. 

“I learned that begin good is not enough … you have to work on wrestling during the off-season,” Fielder said. 

The Hanover-Horton wrestler said seeing Randy Frailey and Chris Sorrow with state titles – the first two in school history – inspired him to get better.

“They (Chris and Randy) put so much work into wrestling, they deserved to be state champions,” Fielder said. “They ran, lifted weights, and entered out-of-season tournaments.”

Fielder began the same type of regiment this past summer and expects to continue it into the future.

“You have to put in the work if you want to get something out of wrestling,” Fielder said. 

Fielder expects to enter the MHSAA as one of the top seeds in his weight class. The 16-man bracket gets whittled down to the top eight at the state meet, with those wrestlers earning all-state medals. 

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