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Confidence helps Kurtz take 3rd place at 113 at sectionals

Landan Kurtz was never more confident than he was Saturday afternoon. He was a loss away from his wrestling season ending, but he believed he was just fine.

The Warrior Run sophomore had three reasons to be confident in the 113-pound bracket. Those three reasons were the number of wins he had prior to last weekend’s District 4 Central Sectional tournament at Hughesville.

He only needed two-thirds of that total to move on to this week’s District 4 tournament at Williamsport. No big deal, right? Not to Kurtz.

He did one better than what he needed to Saturday, winning three consecutive consolation bouts, two of which were elimination bouts, to take third at 113 pounds and qualify for districts for the first time.

“A lot of my friends and coaches really believe in me,” Kurtz said. “They always tell me how good I can be.”

Kurtz chalked up a rough regular season to a bit of bad luck. He was 3-15 entering the Central Sectional with one of his wins coming by forfeit. But he was never overwhelmed by his competition the way his record would suggest.

Six of his losses were by eight points or fewer throughout the regular season. One of his losses during the regular season — a fall by Montoursville’s Xan Oberheim — was one he was able to reverse during his third-place run Saturday.

In fact, it was a loss to Oberheim in the morning’s quarterfinal round which seemed to set up Kurtz for the magic he performed. After that 10-1, major decision setback in the quarterfinals, Kurtz found a gear he hadn’t quite found this year.

He went all in on the aggressiveness. His movements were precise, and his decision-making was impeccable. He looked like the wrestler everyone has told him he’s capable of being. And it was good enough to be one of 10 wrestlers throughout District 4 to enter the postseason with single-digit wins and still earn a spot in the district tournament.

His three wins represented the second-fewest numbers of wins for any wrestler entering either of the three sectional tournaments who eventual qualified for districts. Only Sayre’s Jacob Bennett had fewer wins with an 0-10 record before taking fourth at 145 pounds in the North Section.

“I felt like I was wrestling with more aggressiveness and more confidence,” Kurtz said. “I just wanted to go after people and stay aggressive.”

The confidence was easy to see. The quickness with which he fired off shots was shocking if you knew only his record. But it helped in posting a second-period fall in his first consolation bout. He scored a season-high 12 points in a major decision win in the blood round to secure his spot in the district tournament.

But that wasn’t good enough for Kurtz. He wasn’t satisfied with just getting to the consolation final, though. He posted one of his best results of the season with a 6-2 win over Oberheim to take third place. It avenged his two previous losses to Oberheim and filled him with confidence heading into a tournament where he knows the competition is going to be even tougher.

“(Saturday) was just the day I think it all came together,” Kurtz said. “This is big motivation getting a spot in districts.”

Kurtz will open the district tournament Friday night at Williamsport against Athens freshman Kaden Setzer. Prior to Saturday, he hadn’t earned a win in a contested bout since Jan. 5. But after recording three wins Saturday, he believes he can go into the district tournament and make some noise.

With a 6-16 record, he knows not everybody will take him seriously as competition. He’s hoping that being underestimated like that will allow the confidence and aggressiveness he’s gained to help him win matches he may not be expected to.

“At the beginning of the season, going to districts was one of my main goals,” Kurtz said. “Last year I wasn’t even a starter and I’m still young, so I”m just glad I can go to districts. I know I can wrestle with the kids that are ahead of me.”

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