By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
By middle school, Jace Rich was hooked on wrestling. He’s made the most of that ever since.
The Southern Alamance senior is the county’s most decorated wrestler since the pandemic as he gears up for the individual regionals later this month.
“My parents pushing me to go during quarantine and COVID and all that stuff,” Rich said. “Once I hit eighth grade, that’s when I took it serious. Before then, they made me do it. But now, I want to do it.”
He has done it so well that he has racked up 140 career victories. He’s 34-5 this season.
It’s been a process for more than a decade.
“My dad put me in it when I was like 6 years old,” Rich said. “Tyler Ceparano, the state champion here from 2016, was my first coach. I started going to his club in the fourth grade.”
Rich is a two-time state qualifier.
Following his sophomore season, he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in an offseason tournament. That forced him to miss his junior season of football before he was cleared for wrestling.
Rich’s football exploits as a Southern linebacker complement his mentality.
“I like hitting people. I like being dominant,” he said. “I like the adrenalin rush. I get it from wrestling and football. I enjoy stuff like that. I like to make a play, especially being on defense.”
He wasn’t starting at the beginning of the season, but he had Southern’s only touchdown through two games on a fumble return on what became an eight-win season. He ended up selected for All-Mid-Carolina Conference honors.
He’ll be finished with both sports when he graduates. He’s heading to UNC Wilmington to pursue a degree in business.
Before that, he has goals in wrestling.
Southern coach Vincent Ramirez said Rich has the right make-up to excel.
“He’s a great athlete and he wants to be there,” Ramirez said. “He’s got all the ability. It just comes down to performing when it matters.”
Rich has mostly competed in the 165-pound division this season. There’s the possibility he’ll dip to 157 for the postseason.
“I can eat whatever I want at 165, but I think I’m going to go down to (157) and get as lean as I can,” he said. “I’m trying to get down there healthy. I think I can compete better at (157), too. I feel faster.”
Wherever he lands on the bracket, he’ll carry a degree of pressure.
“I feel like I let a lot of people down when I lose. That’s what I feel like,” he said. “I like being expected to win because I always expect myself to win. So when other people think it, too, that’s cool.”
Rich said he likes the reputation as the best wrestler in Alamance County.
“That was one of my main goals. That and win states,” he said. “I wanted to be that guy around here. I won regionals last year and now this year I want to win states.”
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