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Wrestling - They Fought the Law, and the Law Won: Jimmy Lawson wins second state title
publication date: Mar 8, 2009
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author/source: Bob Badders
By Bob Badders - Senior Contributor
E-mail: bob.badders@gmail.com
ATLANTIC CITY -- For every wrestler who has been on bottom versus Manchester's Jimmy Lawson as he threw in a boot and tried to power-half them into submission, all along wondering how in the world a 280-pound wrestler could pull moves like someone half his weight, they have former Brick Memorial wrestler Kevin Docherty to thank for that.
"His freshman year he was wrestling this kid from Brick Memorial (Docherty) and he started throwing legs on Jimmy," said Manchester head coach Tom Scheffler. "His mom said that she wanted Jimmy to be able to do what (Docherty) did to him, so we started working on that."
 | Photo by Anthony Payne.
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The rest is history. Shore Conference history.
Lawson's unique combination of strength and agility and his dominating skill set from the top position paved the way for his second straight NJSIAA individual state championship. The Hawks junior defeated Delsea's Dan Walker, 1-0, on Sunday at Boardwalk Hall to finish the season 33-0 and become the Shore Conference's first two-time heavyweight state champion. Lawson pinned three of his four opponents in the tournament thanks to his menacing mat skills and used his prowess from the top position to hold down Walker in the third period for the 1-0 victory.
"It feels as good as last year, like it just happened all over again," said Lawson about state title No. 2. "This one is great because I got a chance to do something that not a lot of people get to do. Danny Walker is tough on his feet and has a low center of gravity so he's hard to score on. I knew it wasn't going to be easy."
Unlike last season when he wrestled in tight match after tight match on his way to becoming Manchester's first state champion, Lawson dominated the field over the weekend. Even in his victory over Walker he was in control for the majority of the bout.
"He's strong, heavy and his legs are huge," said Hawks assistant coach Nick Vinciguerra. "He power-halfs you and he wants to rip your shoulders off."
Vinciguerra, who wrestled at Jackson Memorial and was a fourth-place finisher at 189 in 2000, came over to Manchester before this season after coaching at his former school. He has worked with Lawson all season and knows first-hand just why Lawson was viewed by many to be a lock in the state tournament.
"Most heavyweights are very basic - they'll use cross-wrists, a two-on-one or maybe go to a Turk," | Photo by Anthony Payne.
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Vinciguerra said. "Jimmy is unique with what he does. His mat skills are what sets him apart. He'll funk-roll you at 280 pounds."
"For someone to be that size and have that kind of quickness is amazing," Scheffler said.
What else is impressive about Lawson is the business-like attitude he used along the way. The heavyweight class had a few wrestlers that could have taken down Lawson, including Walker and Long Branch's Ameer Washington, who gave Lawson a run for his money in the Region VI final. But Lawson never paid much attention to what was going on around him.
"I tried to keep my mind focused and not read about all the other guys," Lawson said. "My coaches kept me focused and working hard in the wrestling room."
"I would ask Jimmy, 'Hey did you see this story?" Scheffler said. "And he would be like, 'Coach you know I don't read the paper, it just gets in your mind. I'll read the stories at the end of the year.' He's the kind of kid who doesn't care who he wrestles."
If Lawson were to win a third state title next season he would become the first wrestler in state history to win three heavyweight state championships. Most would say they aren't thinking that far ahead, but Lawson didn't deny his ultimate goal.
"Yeah, I want to repeat again next year," he said. "I just have to keep working hard."
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