Athlete Spotlight: Terrell White, Montclair High School, Wrestling
ANDREW GARDA/STAFF
by Andrew Garda
garda@montclairlocal.news
MORRISTOWN—Montclair High School senior wrestler Terrell White might have only recently returned from a toe injury, but he’s one step closer to making his way to Atlantic City and a chance at a state title.
White, who entered the District 11 tournament as the 3-seeded wrestler in the 182 pound category, lost his first round match to Noah Ramadan of Kearny by an 11-6 decision, but rallied and beat James Caldwell’s Max Ruiz by a score of 12-7.
That tenacity is just one of the things Mounties wrestling coach Eugene Kline has seen White improve on this season.
“He wrestles smart, he’s a physical kid, he understands wrestling and, more importantly, he understands the movements, like how things feel,” Kline said after the match. “When things are getting a little dicey, he knows when to bail on them or [when] he can keep on pushing.”
White said that offseason work was the difference between losing just four matches this season and a dozen last year.
“The summer of last year, I really pushed myself and went the extra mile to go to offseason tournaments and matches and put a lot of work in, like lifting,” White said. “I think I learned a lot more from it, and it helped a lot this season.”
White was kind enough to talk some wrestling and other things for this week’s Athlete Spotlight:
Have you decided on a college? I’ve talked to a few colleges, but I’m not really sure yet where I want to go. I talked to the coaches at East Stroudsburg, Southern Maine, American International College and Castleton. But I do want to wrestle in college.
Any thoughts on a major? I want to study Athletic Training, because I kind of want to be a coach, or if not, then a physical therapist or something along those lines.
What do you do for fun? I like to hang out with my friends. Play video games, I play a lot of video games. Or sometimes I just like working out with teammates. When some kids on my team had to cut weight, even if I didn’t have to I would go on a run with them just because I like physical training and I like all the working out and all that extra stuff.
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What kind of video games do you play? A new game came out, Apex Legends. And I play a lot of Fortnight and Tekken. Those are the main games I usually play.
What music do you listen to? It really depends on the mood, what I’m doing. When I’m going to a match, then maybe hip hop or rock, something along those lines. When I’m chilling with my friends, maybe more of some of the newer types of artists, mumble rap you could say. A lot of people like that, it’s pretty enjoyable. It’s catchy.