BALLSTON SPA — With his dad known as one of the best, if not the best, wrestlers to come out of the Ballston Spa wrestling program, eighth grader Tyler “Barnsey” Barnes has some big shoes to fill.
But Tyler doesn't want to just be as good as his father, Terry Barnes. He wants to be better.
“I was always focused on starting as a seventh grader,” Tyler said. “I want to do better than my dad.”
By being named the team’s Most Outstanding Wrestler as a seventh grader last year, Tyler got off to a good start.
“He had a great season last year,” said Scotties head coach Harvey Staulters, who never chose a seventh grader for the award in his previous 25 years coaching at the school. “He won all of the awards last year on our team. It was a hands-down decision. I do it based on the stats and he beat everybody else. It was not a close call. I’m sure he’s going to have another good season.”
Tyler was 32-10 last year at 113 pounds, helping the Scotties finish the regular season at 7-6, after winning their last three Suburban Council dual meets.
In a season where the Scotties were moved down to Class B, he led the team in wins, pins, takedowns and team points in 2012-13 and was a Division I Class II place finisher (third) along with returning teammates Troy Mackey (sixth) and James McDonough (fifth).
Competing at the varsity level took some getting used to, but for the most part, Tyler didn’t let it show.
“I get a little nervous before the match and the weigh-in is a lot different than normal because you gain like 3 pounds after weighing in in the morning, but if you don’t make it, you have to go through the whole day without eating, so that’s kind of bad,” Tyler said.
Tyler also went on to compete in the Section II championships last season, where he finished in fifth place, after going in as the No. 5 seed behind Shenendehowa’s Corey Ali, Queensbury’s Brandon Winchip, Saratoga’s Dominic Inzana and Averill Park’s Alan McNeil.
“I thought [last season] was pretty good, but I thought I could have done better,” said Tyler, who often spars off with fellow eighth grade teammate Jake Cook and his cousin Toby Barnes. “I lost a few matches that I thought I should have won.”
He first started wrestling when he was 4 years old, thanks to his dad introducing him to the sport.
Terry made the state finals back in the mid-1990s and placed second in the state tournament in 1995 at the Onondaga County War Memorial in Syracuse. That same year, he was a regular-season undefeated 30-0 heading into the Class B tournament, competing in the 215-pound weight class.
“His dad is a ‘Barnsey’ too and he’s mountain man,” said Staulters, who also coached Tyler’s father. “[Tyler]’s going to be big also.”
When comparing Tyler to some of the other top Ballston Spa wrestlers he has coached in the past, Staulters simply stated once word to describe what they all have in common — “Drive.”
“It’s just a matter of not liking to lose,” Staulters said. “He’s working very hard on technique and working outside of this room on his technique, which is helping.”
Tyler, who also played modified football this fall, got back on the mat this September to begin training for a season in which he is hoping to win sectionals and go to states.
Barnes and the Scotties scrimmage Niskayuna this Friday, November 29, at 10 a.m.
