WH's Woods seeks the ultimate wrestling prize

Last year as a junior at West Holmes High School, Cael Woods battled his way into the finals of the Div. II state wrestling championship, where he hoped to complete his season by winning a state title.

Standing in his way was three-time state champion and Ohio State University-bound Jacob Decatur, the guy everyone knew would be in the finals.

Woods pushed Decatur to the limit and was by far the more aggressive of the two wrestlers. But after an agonizing 4-2 sudden-victory loss to Decatur, Woods, a three-time All-Ohioan himself, had to fight back all of the emotion, anger and questions that surround such a bitter defeat.

“It was heartbreaking,” Woods said of that finals match. “It was a really weird feeling. It felt like I had just lost everything I had ever worked for in the sport since I was a little kid. It was also strange that I felt more pressure after the match than I did before it. Going in I felt all of this excitement, and then it was over. I was so close only to get turned away. It was definitely different than anything I have ever experienced before. Fortunately I was surrounded by a lot of family and friends, and their support helped me get through the loss, and they helped me realize that what I had done was something to be proud of.”

This year Woods is now the one everyone expects to be in the spotlight as the guy to beat at state.

However, no one expects more than Woods himself, who has trained even harder and worked more furiously than ever before to move up one more spot this year.

“I love the challenge,” Woods said of wrestling top competition.

Woods can only wrestle the opponents who step on to the mat with him, and many times last season he took down his opponent in such short order that it seemed as though he didn’t even wrestle.

That is why he cherishes each opportunity to face someone who will push him to earn a win. He said he would prefer wrestling a great match, losing and learning something over destroying his opponent.

“I want guys to come at me and challenge me. Because when that happens and it gets tough, both guys are out there giving it everything they have, not holding anything back. That makes it so much more enjoyable,” Woods said.

Blessed with speed, quickness, strength and skill, Woods has all of the tools necessary to win a title. But what he feels is perhaps his biggest asset is conquering the mental aspect of the sport.

“One thing I have really focused on is the mental part of the game,” Woods said. “Everyone seems to focus on the strength, quickness and technique, but the mental part of this is so important.”

In addition Woods did something else to make sure he would be ready at the end of the season this year.

“I took a lot more time for myself,” Woods said. “Right after the state tournament, I took a month off and got myself mentally ready to go again. You have to be in the right place mentally in order to approach things that will help you get better.”

Woods has been wrestling since he could stand up, and his path has always pointed to him being something special on the mat.

However, he said there was a point in middle school where he thought about pursuing something else. He said wrestling became monotonous, and he lost his fire and passion for the sport because he was plowing through opponents and not having any fun.

“I was burned out, but I realized that while the wrestling will come and go, all of the fun times I have with my teammates and all of the memories are what will stay with me, and that kind of rejuvenated me,” Woods said. “I think it was just a matter of maturing a little bit, and knowing that these wrestling guys were my second family kind of rejuvenated me. I also think that has helped me grow as a leader. Now our seniors want to bring that family atmosphere to our younger guys and help them understand the joy of wrestling as a team rather than just as an individual. It makes it so much more fun to go through this together even though you’re one-on-one out there on the mat.”

Following his final year at West Holmes, Woods will head off to Ashland University to wrestle for an Eagles program that has seen plenty of success. Woods will enter a college that is more than familiar with the Woods name because he has had a number of family members attend there.

Woods said he loves the program and has been working out there in the summer months and gotten a taste of what the program is like.

“I got a real sense of a family aspect to the program, which really was what drew me to Ashland,” Woods said. “I think I’ve been getting ready for this next step since I was 4 years old.”

Woods said he has seen what it takes to compete at the college level, getting bigger, stronger, faster and more technical.

“I made the transition from middle school to high school and felt very comfortable heading into the world of varsity wrestling,” Woods said. “I expect the same thing of myself going into college next year. The work ethic remains the same. I’ll do whatever I have to do to get better and win. I think the matches will be closer with higher intensity at that level, but I absolutely love competing in big matches and facing a challenge.”

When he isn’t wrestling at AU, Woods will be majoring in business and financial accounting with a minor in sports marketing.