Taylor Simaz Strains Ligament a DCC Tourney

1/25/12

BY JEFF CHANEY

  SPARTA -- Joe Simaz, the father of the wrestling Simaz boys of Allegan High School, says his family hasn't had to deal with a year like this in their long time on the mat.

  Earler this wrestling season, Cam Simaz, a senior at Cornell University, pulled his hamstring wrestling in the Body Bar Invitational that his school hosted in November.

  It was an injury that had the three-time All American contemplating shutting down his senior season and coming back next year to try and win that elusive national championship at 197 pounds that Cam Simaz covets.

  Now, two weeks ago at the Detroit Catholic Central Invitational, Taylor Simaz, a senior at Allegan who will continue his wrestling career at Cornell next year, strained a ligament in the left knee while wrestling Logan Marcicki of the host

Shamrocks.

  It was an injury that has forced Taylor Simaz to wear a large brace on the knee, and force Taylor Simaz to noticeably limp while he is competing on the mat.

  "We have never had this kind of a year," said Joe Simaz, who is an assistant coach at Allegan. "(Eric Simaz, the oldest brother of the four wrestling Simaz boys) did get hurt while he was at Central Michigan. But that was the first injury that any of them suffered in the sport. It's been crazy."

  In the end for Cam Simaz, his hamstring improved after an intensive month of rehabbing the injury during December. He returned to the mat earlier this month against Lehigh.

  That move forced Cam Simaz to finish out his senior year, and wrestling for that national championship in St. Louis in March.

  For Taylor Simaz, he's going to battle through the injury and hope he is healthy enough to wrestle for a state championship at The Palace in early March.

  "This happens to the best of them," said Taylor Simaz, who won a state championship as a sophomore. "I feel all right. I wear the brace because I don't want to injure it any more."

  Taylor Simaz has an interesting way of dealing with his injury on the mat.

  "I think the only way to work over this is to have a full tank of gas," Taylor Simaz said. "I'm going to condition even harder to push though it. I think that will help me deal with it."

  Taylor Simaz did take a tournament off right after that injury happened, but has been on the mat since. On Saturday at Sparta High School, Taylor Simaz won the 145-pound championship with a 9-3 win over Grand Haven's Dakota Juarez in the championship match.

  "This is not going to affect me going forward," Taylor Simaz said. "It does hurt, but when I get on the mat, adrenaline takes over and I don't feel it that much."

  His father says it's something he is going to have to deal with, just like many other wrestlers do in this brutal sport.

  "He has no choice, it's his senior year and he has to get back to work," Joe Simaz said. "But he's a crazy and tough kid. I was told this is like a sprained ankle, you can work through it, but you can always tweak it."

  Joe Simaz says he hopes he doesn't have to go through this again.

  Next year Taylor Simaz will be at Cornell, and Kyle Simaz, the younger brother will still be at Allegan.

  "Cam called me after his injury and told me 'Dad, it looks like God doesn't want to help me this year, so I'm going to have to do it myself," Joe Simaz said. "It's been a trying year, but that's the nature of this sport. You have to deal with injuries."

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