Coner Youtsey Declares to Westpoint and Heskett, Talks to TDR TV

Two-Time Michigan State Champion Headed to West Point

Kevin Schlosser; www.buckeyewrestling.comWhen Joe Heskett was hired as the new Army head coach in July many people in the wrestling community saw him as a perfect fit for the job or someone that could make a difference. With less than thirty days on the job it didn’t take long for him to make an early impact when he secured a verbal commitment from one of the nation’s hottest recruits, Conor Youtsey, over the weekend.

A senior at Mason High School in Jackson, Michigan; Conor is a two-time state champion, three-time state place winner, freestyle All-American, and is currently the fifty-fifth ranked recruit in the InterMat Top 100.

“I am proud to announce to everyone that I will be attending the United States Military Academy,” stated Youtsey over the phone on Sunday night. “I am confident that I made a great decision and I am looking forward to having a great senior year.”

It takes a special recruit to wrestle at a service academy and Conor has had as much success in the classroom as he had on the wrestling mat. A standout wrestler and an outstanding student, he has a three-year record of 157-2 while maintaining an accumulative GPA of 3.74. As a freshman he placed third at 112 pounds before moving up and winning state at 119 and 125 pounds the last two years.

“I just got back from West Point and I really loved the military environment. The campus, the facilities, and the atmosphere were amazing. Spending time with coach Heskett, some of the cadets, and getting to meet with some of the colonels and officers was huge. It is a place and an opportunity where I can be challenged academically, athletically, and personally,” asserted Youtsey.

A member of the National Honor Society and Varsity M Club, he selected Army over Air Force, Cornell, Michigan, and Michigan State.

“The academics were one of the most important factors in my decision. Forbes ranked West Point as one of the top schools in the United States for a reason. I know it is not going to be easy, but there is nothing I like more than a challenge. I can thank wrestling for helping to put me in this position so it is up to me to make the most of the opportunity,” offered Conor when speaking of the importance of his degree.

At the same time the opportunity to wrestle for Black Knights under new head coach Joe Heskett wasn’t lost on future cadet.

“I have really gotten close to Coach Heskett and his family. He has a vision for Army Wrestling that I want to be a part of. As a recruit he made me feel right at home, as a wrestler he was one of the best around, and as a coach he knows what it takes. He is sincere, it isn’t a sales pitch, but a belief that he can bring everyone together and put West Point on the college wrestling map. I am excited to be a part of the future of the program and I am excited to have Joe Heskett as a coach,” responded Conor.

Youtsey is expected to sign his National Letter of Intent in November. From there he hopes to be undefeated and wrestling for his third state title in a row next March and plans on continuing wrestling until it is time to enroll at West Point in the fall. Conor anticipates attending the prep school his first year on campus to prepare to compete for a spot in the starting lineup during the 2012-2013 season. He projects as a 125 pound wrestler throughout his four or five-year college career.

Setting the Standard

As part of InterMat’s ongoing 49 States in 49 Days series, Conor Youtsey was selected as Michigan’s top senior wrestler by the MichiganGrappler.com.

“Coming into this spring and summer the top three or four guys in this class were all pretty similar in terms of in-state and national success. However, over this summer Youtsey has created a bit of separation from the pack,” stated Tony Greathouse.

“Since winning the FloNationals without surrendering an offensive point, he went on to put together a summer filled with big-time wins, including three wins over wrestlers who ended last season ranked Top 10 in the country by InterMat: Bricker Dixon (No. 4 at 112), Jerome Robinson (No. 5 at 119), and Mark Grey (No. 9 at 119). He beat Grey, who is a three-time Fargo national champ, at the FILA Junior Nationals where he also took Pitt freshman and NCAA qualifier Anthony Zanetta to three periods. He was 11-1 at the Junior Duals in Freestyle and was an All-American in Fargo, finishing seventh at 119 pounds.”

Greathouse was a 2001 Michigan state champion for Mason HS that wrestled five years in college at Michigan State. He has coached Youtsey at practice and in competition and currently writes for InterMat and the Michigan Grappler.

“Between the Junior Duals and Fargo, Youtsey beat five wrestlers are 2010 Freestyle All-Americans: Hunter Weber (WI), Dixon (MO), Rob Deutsch (NJ), Eric DeVos (IA), and Thomas Gilman (NE). He has been one of the best wrestlers in Michigan since arriving on the scene as a freshman, losing only twice throughout his prep career. However, his past summer of big wins is what has sealed him as the No. 1 recruit in this class,” concluded Greathouse.

Premium InterMat subscribers can read the complete article profiling the top-ten Michigan high school seniors at:

Wrestling with Conor Youtsey

It is no secret that Michigan high schools have some of the strictest regulations regarding out of state travel and a team’s ability to wrestle schools from other states. Without the ability to attend many of the in-season national tournaments it is hard to gauge how you stack up against the best in the country if you haven’t wrestled them before.

“I started wrestling nine years ago and pretty much only wrestled folkstyle until the last couple of years so I didn’t get to see a lot of guys. I think wrestling freestyle has really helped me develop as a wrestler. It has given me the chance to see some great competition outside of Michigan,” offered Conor, “but at the same time I think winning an event like FloNationals put me on the map as far as recruiting goes.”

“As a wrestler you want to challenge yourself and that means wrestling the best. If we only wrestled during the high school season in Michigan you see a good kid every once in awhile, at a national tournament you get to see good and great kids almost every match. It is big in a lot of different ways when you are competing on the national stage,” said Youtsey.

When asked what drives him on the wrestling Conor admits he likes to challenge himself.

“I want to do the best I can in class and in wrestling, I like the challenge to do your best. In wrestling people like to see big wins but I want to get better every day. I think you learn from your wins and losses… from practice and from competition. Adversity and opportunity build character. I have been watching a lot of video of my matches and film of some of the best guys out there to see what I can work on.”

When asked about some of the people who have contributed to his success Youtsey was quick to credit his coaches and family.

“I have had a lot of people help me or get behind me over the years from my coaches, to my teachers, to my practice partners, and most definitely my family. They have always challenged me to be my best and that is the way it is going to be at Army. If it wasn’t for the people around me, I don’t think I would be who I am or in the position I am in and that is one of the reasons I am excited about West Point.”

“In wrestling I am always looking for a good workout and Roger Masa runs a group up at St John that always has a lot of guys in the room that are always ready to work hard. Tony Greathouse has done a lot with me at practice and has coached me on the national level.”

“As far as family goes, it is very important to me so I don’t think I can say enough. I come from a big family and we get together every other week. I really have to give credit to my dad, (Darren), for pushing me through the hard times in wrestling and academics; and to my mom, Chantell Marston, who has been great when things go good and when things don’t go as planned.”

With his college decision made Youtsey has twelve months before making a decade long commitment by choosing to go to one of the service academies.

“I have a year or two to get ready to wrestle in college depending on how you look at it. It is hard to say if I am going to be able to wrestle the same schedule I did this year after the high school season but I am going to try to again next year. I am planning on going back to Fargo and I definitely want to continue wrestling freestyle while I am at the Academy,” asserted Youtsey. “Hopefully after five years at West Point we have accomplished our goals and I am in a position where I can continue wrestling with the WCAP program in Colorado Springs. I definitely have a lot to look forward to and a lot of challenges ahead.”