Waterford senior Travis Efaw never thought he'd hear his name mentioned in the same sentence with guys like Dale Doebereiner, Dean Miller and Tyler Reed.
Yet on Jan. 14, Efaw assured that would happen as he became one of only 10 wrestlers at Waterford to record 100 career victories on the mats.
"It's pretty big to be up there with all those guys," Efaw said. "I never thought I would be up there with any of them guys."
Reed is actually the one that got Efaw involved in wrestling in pee wee, and has served as a monumental influence on the younger Wildcat during his career. Reed is now competing with Ohio Valley University.
Along with Reed, Efaw also credited his family and coaches for helping him reach the milestone victory.
"I wouldn't be able to do it without my coaches," Efaw said.
Efaw continues the success that local wrestlers have enjoyed in recent years, as he becomes the third Washington County grappler this year to record his 100th career win.
A fourth wrestler, Warren junior Cory Parsons, is also closing in on the record .
Going into the season, Efaw needed more than 20 wins to reach the magical plateau.
He got it in his first match on Jan. 14, a little over the halfway point of the 2011-12 season.
"I knew I was pretty close coming into this year when we started out. I was pretty excited to get it. It was a pretty big accomplishment," Efaw said.
As excited as Efaw was to get the win, his family was happier.
With only nine other grapplers in school history achieving the milestone, Efaw is now cemented in Waterford lore as one of the school's best.
Wrestling in the 138-pound weight class, Efaw had lost just two matches while participating in seven tournaments.
The Wildcats were at Shenandoah on Wednesday and travel to New Lexington on Saturday before participating in the John Deno classic in Athens on Feb. 4 and hosting the Tri-Valley Conference meet on Feb. 11.
Those late season tournaments are what Efaw is now focused on the most.
"I really want to go to state. It's what I've been wanting since I was a freshman," Efaw said.
To get to the state tournament, Efaw will have to continue to improve throughout the season.
Perhaps the biggest improvement in his wrestling is his stance, something Efaw said has been a battle between him and Waterford wrestling coach Scott Zimmer.
The lesson finally got through, as Efaw is now moving on his feet more in his stance.
"I've just got to keep wrestling strong, skeep practicing hard," Efaw said.
Despite a knee injury sustained a year ago, Efaw remains a strong, competitive wrestler and is determined to make his final season his best.
"I just want to make sure when I hit that last match of my year I have no regrets for it," Efaw said.
