Wrestling
Favorite athlete: Jordan Burroughs
Favorite team: Philadelphia Flyers
Favorite memory competing in sports: Qualifying for the District Wrestling Tournament last year.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: A friend of mine saw me in a singlet and asked, ‘Why are you wearing a girls bathing suit?’
Future plans: Join the military, have a family, and possibly coach wrestling.
Favorite motto: ‘It is not about the size of the dog in the fight that is important, but the size of the fight in the dog.’
On goal before turning 30: Graduate from college and join the military
One thing people don’t know about me: I like long walks on the beach and a nice pair of slacks.
If you’re ever in a foxhole, or even just a tough spot in your life, Mike Molz is a guy you’d want beside you. He hasn’t even graduated from high school yet, but he already is all man.
“If I had a son, Mike is the kind of kid I’d want my son to be.”
These are the words of Abington wrestling coach John Gillespie, talking about Molz, a senior who has been a standout member of the Ghosts’ program for four years. It’s tough to imagine a more ringing endorsement of someone.
“Mike is just one of those hard-nosed kids, on the mat and in the practice room,” Gillespie said. “He’s always going. He has a motor on him. Even when he wins he’s not satisfied. He wants to put out his best performance.”
Molz is all business. He wants to go into the military. He’s looking at military colleges. He doesn’t care which branch he serves in or which capacity. He just wants to serve his country.
“I’m not 100-percent sure,” Molz said. “Navy, Marines, infantry, whatever… This country has always been good to me, so I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to serve and give back.”
Tell him where to sign. He’s ready. Is he afraid?
“You gotta do what you gotta do,” he said. “If that’s what I choose, you can’t be scared doing it. You’ve got to go out and fight.”
Molz’s mother is afraid.
“My dad said I should do whatever I want to do,” he said. “Of course my mom worries about it, like all moms would. But I’ve always had a sense of nationalism. I guess it came about more in fifth or sixth grade. I’ve always wanted to fight for my country.”
He will go to the mat for the USA. Count on that. He has also gone to the mat for Abington High, literally. He can be counted on there, too.
Molz went to districts last year and finished fourth at sectionals.
“He’s had to work hard for where he’s gotten,” Gillespie said. “He has natural ability, but he has worked. If he can find the right program, he’ll do very well at the next level.”
Gillespie talked about Molz’s dedication.
“Last year he got into a car accident right before a tournament,” Gillespie said. “His car was demolished. It was a pretty traumatic car wreck the night before he had to wrestle. But he went out and wrestled. He didn’t place, but he wrestled really well. I mean, it was amazing.”
Molz was undefeated through junior high. He took his game to another level in high school.
“It was a huge step up,” he said. “The coaches really worked with me and helped me improve. They’ve been awesome. It has been a big difference. It’s been a great four years.”
Molz, who has been wrestling since age six, has been weighing Duke, Temple, the Naval Academy, Virginia Tech, the Merchant Marine Academy, Penn State and the Coast Guard Academy.
He hasn’t decided on his major. He is leaning toward criminal justice.
“I really want to thank my parents for all their help,” he said. “They’ve really guided me.”
Molz, whose dad used to wrestle, is part of the National Honor Society and has gotten all A’s and B’s (“except for the occasional C,” he said). He takes AP courses and is an elite student. But he loves wrestling.
“It’s a great sport, one-on-one,” Molz said. “You battle for six minutes and beat the crap out of each other. You’ve got to love that. I’ve been doing it so long, you just have to love it.
“When you come off the mat after a win, it’s such a rush,” he said. “And it’s even better when the team wins. It’s been an honor to be here and be part of this program.”
Gillespie couldn’t be more proud.
“He’s one of our leaders,” the Ghosts’ coach said. “He does his best to motivate other kids. I can turn my back and leave the room, and he’ll be doing the right thing. You talk to any of his teachers, and they have nothing but good things to say about him. He’s a great kid. He such a solid person and does everything you could possibly ask. Someone like him doesn’t come along often.”
Indeed.
