It would be difficult to call what Michael Tharpe went through last season as a sophomore slump, considering he had no wrestling season at all.
The promise demonstrated during the 2018-19 season when Tharpe, a freshman 106-pounder for Center Grove advanced to the second round of semistate, had to be shelved while he recovered from a broken right arm that he suffered before the start of the season.
“It was at the nationals in Des Moines, Iowa, that October,” Tharpe said. “It was during my second match. I got lifted up and slammed on my right arm. I broke two bones. One was a complete fracture and the other was a spiral fracture. I was in a cast a good three and a half months.”
Tharpe’s debut season concluded with a 26-11 record. He was one win from qualifying for state, but lost to Chris Newman of Mt. Vernon. In the weeks leading up to semistate, he won the sectional and took fourth at regional.
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His goal was to not only make the finals as a sophomore in the 113-pound weight class, but to stand on the awards podium.
“It was kind of heartbreaking, to be honest,” Tharpe said. “Going into that practice room really took a toll on me, but I went to every single practice. I didn’t sit there and play on my phone. What I took out of it is seeing what my teammates were doing and how I could get better for this season. It helped me understand a different point of view than being on the mat.”
Third-year Trojans coach Maurice Swain can vouch for Tharpe’s perfect attendance.
“Michael came to every practice. He was here, he traveled with the team and was on the bike when he needed to be,” Swain said. “Then when we got (medical) clearance that last week or two before sectional, he started getting on the mat and, obviously, we didn’t feel like he was ready.
“With his situation last year, he knows exactly what it feels like to never know if you’re going to get that next day to compete. Taking advantage of every opportunity that you can possibly get is really, really important, and he’s doing that right now.”
Seventh-ranked Center Grove opened the season last Saturday with lopsided team victories over Bloomington North (81-0), Columbus North (74-3) and Martinsville (64-9) at the Bloomington North tournament, as well as a 44-27 decision over Bloomington South.
Tharpe won all four of his matches as a 120-pounder, but he remains on the outside looking in when it comes to state rankings. Nonetheless, Swain expects Tharpe to have another productive season.
“I’ve always believed that you get better at wrestling, obviously, wrestling, but you also get better from just watching wrestling,” Swain said. “I’m assuming all that time he was sitting out, he was banking all those different scenarios that he was seeing. Missing a year, it does take a little bit to get back going, but since he’s been 100 percent clear, he’s picking everything up fast.”
