CLARENCE — There’s no hesitation in John Fike’s movement.
Once he makes one or two moves, Fike aims to pin his opponent as fast as possible. The quick hitting approach is on full display when the stakes are high for the heavyweight. Fike’s latest test came when he competed at 215 pounds in the Section VI Class A championships Saturday at Clarence High School.
Three straight pins — two in less than a minute — led to Fike repeating as a sectional champion for Niagara Wheatfield. The victory that sealed the title came against Starpoint’s Lucas Clark, a match that lasted only 59 seconds.
Now, the sophomore, who is 30-3 this season, looks to finish in the top two of his weight class at the Division I state qualifier, which starts at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Williamsville North. Last year, Fike placed sixth at 189 and was out of the running after falling to Lancaster’s Evan Stencel in the semifinal.
“I’ve always tried to (win by pins),” Fike said. “And, I feel like my mentality and my (physicality) has just caught up to it where I can (pin opponents). So, I’m just trying to do the best I can and I’m honored to do it.”
Though he still has two years remaining with the Falcons, Fike knows how intense the state qualifying round can be. An early loss results in being out and having to win extra matches to have a chance at being the true-second winner.
Ranked No. 3 in the state qualifier, Fike knows the competition in the bracket. Orchard Park’s Jack MacDonald won at 189 last year and is the No. 1 seed at 215 while Lafayette’s Kahmari Cooks, the No. 2 seed, was a state champion at Mallard Creek High School in North Carolina in 2021.
But after securing wins at events like the state duals and helping lead Niagara Wheatfield to back-to-back Niagara Frontier League titles, Fike is hoping all the work will come together and make him the first Falcon heavyweight to win a state qualifier since Max Antone in 2011 and 2012.
“Experience is always something you need and something you learn from every match,” Fike said. “Every match is different. Next match, too, something can happen, you never know. So, I’m looking forward to winning the next match and onto the next one.”
Fike had a solid freshman campaign as well, with a 30-9 record with 14 pins and now holds a career record of 73-26 and 41 pins heading into the state qualifier.
But while he continued to stack up wins, Fike knew he had to stay mentally sharp, too.
Over the past year, Fike increased his time watching film and gaining strength. He’s also consulted with numerous coaches on where to keep growing and how to get his moves correctly.
Along with Niagara Wheatfield head coach Rick Sweney, Fike has worked with his step-father and Falcons Hall of Fame member Jon Hoover, primarily to increase his leg strength. Formerly the head coach at Lewiston-Porter for 20 years, Hoover joined the Falcons’ staff as a volunteer coach last year and reached the state qualifier himself, as a top-four finalist at 141 in 1991 and at 155 in 1992.
Even before coaching him on the Falcons, Sweney watched young John go through the NWAA youth wrestling program and saw the potential in sixth grade that he could make an impact at the varsity level. Now, it’s just a matter of Fike continuing to stay healthy as the tournaments continue.
“He’s aggressive and he’s gotten a lot of leverage,” Niagara Wheatfield head coach Rick Sweney said. “He’s got mat awareness where he knows where he’s at most times. If he does a bad shot, he recovers quickly. … He knows where he’s at all the time, what he wants to do and then he sets something in his mind, his technique, and he goes out there and does it.”