Old Dominion Wrestling

Garwood closes out one career, extends another

When Dan Garwood suits up for the White all-stars in the Adam Taliaferro Football Classic on Thursday night, he'll be playing his last football game.

But Garwood's athletic career is far from over.

The Clearview High School standout will wrestle next year at the Division I level for Virginia Tech.

At Clearview, the Mullica Hill resident was a three-sport star -- playing defensive end and fullback for the football team, wrestling in the 215-pound weight class and competing on the lacrosse team.

Garwood, who is 6-3, 230 pounds, placed fifth in the wrestling state championships in March after compiling a record of 40-3 during the season.

"He's a real tough kid because of his wrestling, and his skill set really transferred well from sport to sport," Clearview football coach Mark Deal said.

After being recruited for football and wrestling by a number of schools -- including Monmouth and James Madison for football, and Bucknell and Old Dominion for wrestling -- Garwood had to make a difficult decision.

What sport would he continue in college?

"I love both sports," Garwood explained. "It was a hard decision to make. It was a last-minute one when no football opportunities came up."

After weighing his options, Garwood decided that Virginia Tech was the best fit for him.

"I really liked it there," he said. "It has a great wrestling program."

At Virginia Tech, Garwood will be a preferred walk-on. He was recruited, but the school did not have a scholarship left to give him. He hopes to earn a scholarship after his freshman year and is expected to wrestle at heavyweight.

But before that, Garwood has one football game left to play. He'll play defensive end.

"I only had Dan for one year," Deal said. "He was an offensive lineman before we made him into a fullback and he did really well. He was just a great player."

"He had to overcome some injuries throughout his senior year, has a good work ethic and is a good kid," said White head coach Sean Kahoun, also the coach at Pitman. "We're happy for the opportunity to coach him."

For Garwood, the Classic gives him the opportunity to play football one last time before concentrating on wrestling.

"It's definitely a little sad," Garwood said. "But I'm going to make the most of it."

Jen Dobias can be reached at cpsports@courierpostonline.

Varsity Letters: Registration open for Workhorse Wrestling Camp in ...

Meade wrestling coach Chad Vosburg wants to remind any wrestler (ages 8 to 18) who wants to get sound coaching this summer about the Workhorse Wrestling Commuter Camp, which runs July 18-21 from 8:30 a.m. -- 4 p.m. Meade is hosting the camp at Arundel High. The cost of the camp is $150 per wrestler, with a limit of 100 total wrestlers.

The camp will be run similarly to the Granby School of Wrestling Camps in Virginia. This camp is geared toward increasing wrestling knowledge, both technically and mentally. The camp will focus on a system of moves that will be developed through thorough drilling and repetition.

Takedowns will include Sweep Singles, Inside Step and Russian Arm Series. Bottom work will focus on 5-point holds that include Granby Rolls, Shrugs and the Forced Roll Series. Top work will include Bars, Tilts, Turks and Cradles. Diet plans, weight training, conditioning, work ethic, and mental toughness will all be discussed in the last 15 minutes of each day.

Jon Soiredas, current Old Dominion assistant coach and head clinician at the Granby School of Wrestling, will be conducting the camp. Soiredas will be assisted by current and past Old Dominion All-Americans and wrestlers.

To register for the Workhorse Wrestling Camp, visit premiersportsacad.com.

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