Trevor Strickland may be 6 feet 7 inches wearing shoes, but the Clyde heavyweight is no sideshow.
Wrestling is not a particularly 'tall' sport. Compact size, balance and low centers of gravity are valued. Height adds pounds but not always strength, and in a sport separated by weight classes, extra pounds are a handicap.
That's why the Clyde senior and his 82-inch wingspan are so rare. Last year, wrestling in the 215-pound bracket in Columbus, Strickland stood inches above any other competitor in the state tournament.
"Everywhere I go, I've got people always looking at me, telling me how tall I am," he said. "I even had people come up and want to take pictures with me."
But he's not simply tall. The Flier senior, 32-0 this season, was projected in the Brakeman Report released last week to win the heavyweight title in Division II.
Strickland has developed a style uncommon among heavyweights, who can weigh up to 287 pounds (after midseason allowances): He wrestles like a middleweight.
For more of this story, see Tuesday's Sandusky Register.
