Date: Fri 14-Feb-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: TOMW

Quick Words:

Feature-Kevin-Lausten

Full Text:

Wrestling Feature - Kevin Lausten

B Y T. W YATT

You're wrestling in the 171-pound weight class for Inept Tech High School in a

match against Newtown. When your opponent saunters to the center of the mat to

meet you, you behold an expressionless face with long unruly hair puffing up

from beneath his headgear as though he had just rolled out of bed.

The next thing you know, you're caught upside down in a leg cradle and the

Newtown High gymnasium roars a sarcastic cheer as the referee pounds his open

hand on the mat and blows his whistle. Pinned.

You aren't alone. You had just entered an area called "Lausten Space." Not

many wrestlers before you had escaped with their dignity, either. Not in a

match against Kevin Lausten.

Lausten, the three-year senior captain of the NHS wrestling team, has

conquered 19 opponents in 21 matches this season in the 171 class. He hasn't

lost a match to a South-West Conference opponent yet this season, and he

doesn't plan to.

"My immediate goal for this year has been to win SWC's," Lausten said. "And,

after that, I'm shooting at winning Class L."

Can he pull it off? "Absolutely," said NHS coach John Zelina. "He's just got

to find it inside of himself. He's got that special ingredient that it takes

to gut it out. He's an exceptional athlete and he likes to work hard. You put

those things together and that spells success."

Success is something that Kevin Lausten has seen a lot of in his four-year

athletic career at Newtown High. Twice he was named All-Conference in

football, where he played the offensive line, and most-recently he earned

All-State honors in that department as well. On the wrestling mat, Lausten was

runner-up in the SWC last season and has gone all but untouched thus far in

1997.

In a tri-meet last week in Guilford, Lausten joined an elite group of NHS

wrestlers when he won his 50th match. His four-year career record currently

stands at 53-28 (36-6 over the last two seasons) and he holds the distinction

of having reached the 50 mark quicker than most before him. Only five NHS

wrestlers have more victories in fewer matches.

Kevin grew up playing football and basketball and baseball and lacrosse and

soccer - everything but wrestling. When he was in the fifth grade his older

brother Eric joined the NHS wrestling team and Kevin got his first peek at the

sport.

"I used to come to watch my brother wrestle but I never really thought that I

was going to do it," he said. "I fooled around with it a little, but didn't

really start wrestling myself until ninth grade here. I'm so glad I did. A lot

of people don't believe it, but I actually like wrestling more than football."

It didn't look like Lausten was going to enjoy wrestling too much when he

started out as a 152-pound freshman. Traditionally a tough weight class to

begin with, 152 is no place for a first-year freshman as Kevin soon found out.

He was pinned in less than a minute in each of his first five matches before

earning his first varsity win, a third-period pin of Pomperaug senior Brian

Gavigan.

Lausten recorded a 4-11 record that season and was pinned eleven times, but he

learned from the school of hard knocks.

"At first I didn't like it much because it was so tough," he remembers. "But I

decided to stay with it. I learned a lot from the older guys back then. I try

to mimic them a little bit now that I'm a senior."

Kevin was elected tri-captain of the team in his sophomore season as the team,

made up entirely of underclassmen, took on a new coach, Jim Berrill. "It was

kind of cool becoming a team leader right away but we probably could have used

a few beatings from seniors over the years," he says.

Lausten wrestled at 160 pounds that season and compiled a 13-11 record against

a schedule of tough schools. He was on his way.

As a junior last season, Lausten was almost unbeatable at 171. He rolled up a

record of 17-4 throughout the season under new coach John Zelina, and ended up

placing second at the SWC Championship meet after a tough loss to Pomperaug's

Cameron Evans whom he had pinned earlier in the year. Lausten took the loss

hard. He hasn't been pinned since.

Still at 171 pounds this year as a senior, Lausten has been beaten only twice.

Both defeats were by three points and came against state-championship caliber

wrestlers from Danbury and Guilford.

"I can beat both those guys," Lausten said, matter of factly. "I'm looking

forward to wrestling the Guilford kid again at Class L's and if I'm lucky

enough to make the State Open I'm sure I'll meet the Danbury kid again, too.

The Guilford kid is probably stronger and faster than me but I think I'm

tougher and in better shape than he is and that's what wins matches. I've

watched the film of our match and there are things I could have done to beat

him."

Watching film of matches and learning from his mistakes has also made Lausten

a better wrestler. "That's one of his best qualities," coach Zelina said.

"He's such a good student and that means a lot. He's constantly learning out

there. He knows he's going to have to win those big matches if he wants to

finish this thing out. You can go down in school history as a good wrestler

but if you want to make a name for yourself you have to take that last step.

Sometimes that's the step that's hardest to take."

The coming weeks will determine whether or not Lausten is poised to make that

big step. They will determine whether his name hangs on the NHS gymnasium's

Wall of Fame in one sport (football) or two.

Already accepted to attend the University of Colorado, the perennial honor

roll member, will say goodbye to scholastic sports when he walks off the

wrestling mat for the final time this winter.

"I want to finish out my career well," he says. And somehow you can't help

believe that Kevin Lausten will.

The center of the wrestling mat, in the 171-pound weight class, is "Lausten

Space." And lately, opponents have had a gravity problem there.