February 24, 2010

Matt Patterson

The Oklahoman

EDMOND — Tyler Shaw is a latecomer to wrestling, but the Edmond Santa Fe senior is a fast learner.

Shaw was second at the Class 6A West regional as a heavyweight. He’s been wrestling a little more than two months but might find himself in the mix at state later this week.

Seeded second, Shaw is 25-14, with many of those losses coming at the beginning of the season. He is undersized for a heavyweight but big enough to get the job done. Shaw also played on the defensive line for the football team. He will play college football at East Central in Ada.

"Our head coach had been talking to me about it during football season,” Shaw said of wrestling. "It sounded like fun. He thought I could contribute something. It took off from there, and I’ve had a lot of fun with it.”

Shaw said it’s another way to keep in shape as he prepares for his first college season. Santa Fe wrestling coach Tim Draper said Shaw’s ability to learn fast has fueled his success.

"He keeps learning,” Draper said. "In the heavyweight division there’s a lot of pushing and pulling and hand fighting. With his football prowess, it’s helped him. It’s surprised me, but I knew he was a competitor.”

Shaw is a dark horse to reach the finals, but heavyweight is often unpredictable. Broken Arrow’s Terry Williamson returns after winning a state title as a junior, but the weight remains mostly wide open.

"I’m pretty surprised with the whole thing,” Shaw said. "I had to learn some of the rules and pretty much start from scratch, but I think I’ve got a good chance to get to the finals.”