By Coach Mark Green
Damarko Dixon has been wrestling in Appling County since his sixth grade year. He has put in a lot of time and hard work (working nearly year round to improve his skills on the mat). He is now a junior and finished the year with a 39-2 record. He fought through some tough injuries the past two years.
Pictured above, middle, is Appling County Pirate wrestler Damarko Dixon on the podium after winning the state championship in the 152-pound class.
Pirate wrestler captures state
Last year at the Treutlen Tournament he was winning 11-1 and had his opponent in a cradle and the kid grabbed his ring finger and broke it. He had to have surgery and was supposed to be out the rest of the season. He battled back and was able to compete for area and sectionals. He did well enough to qualify for State, while only able to use one hand.
This year he injured his elbow and was in a sling for the first part of the season. He was able to come back around Christmas and ended up becoming the Area Champion in the 152-weight class. His toughness and determination has helped him with his success as a wrestler. Area was held this year at Morgan County High School where there were 16 teams competing for four spots to advance to the Eastern Sectionals.
After his success at Area, Damarko advanced to the first round of sectionals again held at Morgan County High School. Here too, the top four in each weight class advanced to the State finals. There was a buzz around this event about the competition level. Many coaches were making comments about this being the most competitive sectional they have ever been involved with. To put some proof to this statement, 9 of the 14 state champions came from the Eastern Sectionals. Damarko worked his way through this competitive field in the 152-pound weight class and was eventually crowned the Sectional Champion. This put him as top seed in the State finals where he became the 2013 State Champion in the 152-pound weight class.
He is one of only two Appling County athletes to accomplish this achievement. He hopes his success continues throughout his senior year by working hard in the off-season. Damarko is one of those kids that the others look up to. He is always willing to help the other wrestlers fine-tune their technique. Damarko has become a quiet leader, leading by example with his work ethic.
This year he injured his elbow and was in a sling for the first part of the season. He was able to come back around Christmas and ended up becoming the Area Champion in the 152-weight class. His toughness and determination has helped him with his success as a wrestler. Area was held this year at Morgan County High School where there were 16 teams competing for four spots to advance to the Eastern Sectionals.
Pictured right is Dixon after winning the championship Match.
After his success at Area, Damarko advanced to the first round of sectionals again held at Morgan County High School. Here too, the top four in each weight class advanced to the State finals. There was a buzz around this event about the competition level. Many coaches were making comments about this being the most competitive sectional they have ever been involved with. To put some proof to this statement, 9 of the 14 state champions came from the Eastern Sectionals. Damarko worked his way through this competitive field in the 152-pound weight class and was eventually crowned the Sectional Champion. This put him as top seed in the State finals where he became the 2013 State Champion in the 152-pound weight class.
He is one of only two Appling County athletes to accomplish this achievement. He hopes his success continues throughout his senior year by working hard in the off-season. Damarko is one of those kids that the others look up to. He is always willing to help the other wrestlers fine-tune their technique. Damarko has become a quiet leader, leading by example with his work ethic.
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