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Motivated Stack driven by dream

The hard-working Land O'Lakes senior is 7-0, a good start toward his goal of a state championship at 145 pounds.

By FRANK PASTOR
Published December 8, 2005

LAND O'LAKES - Evan Stack does one more pushup than he did before. He completes full sets in his workouts. He runs 2 miles every morning, then practices his stance for 10 minutes.

The Land O'Lakes senior tells his teammates to push him if they sense him slacking off in practice.

After seeing how hard others worked at last season's state tournament, where he went 1-2, Stack will stop at nothing in his pursuit of a state title in his final high school season.

"I'm sure every athletic kid dreams about winning a state title or kicking the winning kick or scoring the winning touchdown," Stack said. "My drive is to be a state champion, and I'm going to work as hard as I can to get there and, hopefully, I'll be successful with it."

Stack's goals might be universal, but his talents are singular.

He is 7-0 after winning his weight class at the Pasco and Land O'Lakes tournaments, and coach Brent Coleman said Stack is capable of placing among the top four in the state at 145 pounds.

Coleman has been so impressed with Stack's performance he hesitates to change his style, which was honed by two different coaches the past two seasons and four camps over the summer that Stack credited with improving his footwork, aggressiveness and shooting ability.

"He's a patient wrestler," Coleman said. "He waits for his openings. He attacks when he needs to attack, and he's tough on top - real tough on top - and he explodes off the bottom real well. I don't think there's much to refine."

Though he allowed initial takedowns before pinning wrestlers from Pasco and Alonso, Stack said he really hasn't been tested this season. That could change Saturday, when Land O'Lakes expects to face tougher competition at the Pinellas Park tournament.

"I don't feel that I've had the hardest that there is so far, but I know we haven't had any real tournaments yet," Stack said. "It's coming up, and that's where the tests will really be - how well I compete with these guys in the higher levels of competition."

Stack focuses on one match at a time, but he doesn't have tunnel vision. He knows that if he is to reach his goal of a state title, he likely will have to beat two-time state champion Sean Joyce of Brandon, whom he has never faced.

"I'm not going to be intimidated by a name, by what he's done in the past," Stack said. "It's what he can do this season and what I can do. I'm not going to back down from anybody."

Though he has specific individual goals, Stack takes his role as senior captain every bit as seriously. He is "like the dad of the team" at practice, Coleman said, equally comfortable joking with teammates or telling them to get back to work.

In the process, Stack hopes to propel the team toward its goal of a top 10 finish at state.

"We have five captains on the team, so between the five captains we're all very vocal," Stack said. "We tell the young guys to work hard. We correct them if they're doing something wrong. I don't like kids slacking. If they can't do it, they can't do it. But I want to see them work. I want to see them drive and do their best. I don't want them quitting and selling themselves short."

Stack would expect nothing less from himself.

[Last modified December 8, 2005, 00:50:19]