Zach Watson finally lost.
Those who thought he never would far outnumbered those who felt it was a matter of time.
The Baylor sophomore, who in less than a month will be shooting for his third state wrestling title, ran off 99 wins before absorbing his first high school loss Saturday. He fell 8-6 in overtime to Nick Wright of Benedictine Military of Savannah, Ga., in the 119-pound final of the Southeastern Slam tournament in Atlanta.
As one might expect, Watson was upset, but ending his perfect record wasn’t his main concern.
“It isn’t that I lost but how I lost,” Watson said. “I didn’t wrestle well. I made some stupid mistakes or it might never have gotten to overtime.”
Baylor assistant coach Schaack Van Deusen said Watson gave up one point on a penalty and two when he went for a cradle at an ill-advised moment. The penalty point came after he’d been cautioned twice for a false start while in controlling position.
“I don’t question those calls. I only question the fact of things that get called and not called,” head coach Jim Morgan said. “I think three of four officials probably don’t make that call.”
The coaches reminded Watson that this tournament included only his second match since returning from a broken ankle suffered almost two months ago.
“It wasn’t conditioning. It was rust,” Van Deusen said. “You combine the lack of mat time with the fact he is a sophomore and you have your answer.”
Watson’s win streak was the longest in Baylor history. Jordan Leen, who went from the Red Raiders to a national championship at Cornell, lost to Soddy-Daisy’s John Lane in the opening match of his senior season. The only other Red Raider who might have been close, according to Van Deusen, is Marc Lyle, who wrestled at 155 and 167 pounds in high school.
“I don’t think Marc was beaten over his last two and a half years, but we didn’t wrestle nearly as many meets back then,” Van Deusen said.
Lyle was a three-time state champion in the latter years of the Luke Worsham era, when Van Deusen and Chris Moore were assistants.
The national consecutive wins mark is 260, set by Justin Zeerip in Hesperia, Mich., from 2003 to ’07.
Watson remembers the wrestlers he beat in his first match and his state-tournament matches because they were monumental moments in his career. He didn’t know the name of the wrestler who beat him but rather the fact that Wright has provided him with incentive and inspiration.
“There might have been a little pressure,” Watson admitted. “Staying undefeated was a goal. It wasn’t a concern, but still it is a weight that has been lifted. I am more motivated. I need to work a lot harder because I have a lot of improvement to make.”
That statement came as no surprise to his coaches.
“He sets pretty high goals for himself, and he’ll bounce back,” Morgan said.
“He’ll work to get better,” Van Deusen added. “Zach comes with that mindset anyway.”