SIX-MINUTE MAN
Davison's Paul Donahoe never out a match
Win or lose, Davison (Mich.) High standout Paul Donahoe gives it all he’s got.
Morgantown (W.Va.) University High standout Kyle Turnbull was the latest to learn that lesson on the national stage.
In one of the great comebacks in recent Junior Nationals history, Donahoe erased a 6-1 first-period deficit with nine unanswered points to beat the West Virginia signee 10-6, giving him the freestyle title at 112 pounds.
Another highly-ranked senior, Gabriel Mooney of Greenbush (Minn.) High, knows it, too. He thought an early 8-0 lead would be plenty against Donahoe in the 98-pound final three years ago. Donahoe nearly snatched that gold medal from Mooney’s hand as well, staging a furious comeback before falling 8-6.
Davison coach Roy Hall isn’t surprised, considering what Donahoe has had to overcome in his own life.
“Paul sometimes hasn’t had the greatest home situation, but he is one of the most self-motivated kids I’ve ever been around,” Hall said. “He knows what he wants to do with his life.”
Currently ranked No. 1 in WIN’s senior and all-class individual rankings at 112 pounds, Donahoe says he’ll return to 119 as he shoots for his second Cla
ss A state title. His run at 112 included the title in the Medina (Ohio) Tournament of Champions over the holidays, helping No. 11 Davison edge No. 3 Lakewood St. Edward 252-248.5 for the team title. He also scored a 7-4 victory over St. Edward sophomore Lance Palmer in a 37-22 loss to the Eagles at the National Duals in Cleveland, Ohio.Donahoe signed with Nebraska in November, selecting the Cornhuskers over in-state powers Michigan and Michigan State. He also has his academic house in order, with a 3.3 grade-point average. He plans to major in pre-medicine, with optometry school perhaps in his future.
Recently, W.I.N. sat down with Donahoe for this candid interview.
WIN: You went down to 112 pounds recently from 119. What was behind your decision to do that?
Donahoe: I just went down to 112 so that our team would have a shot at beating (St. Edward), so I could wrestle (state champion Lance) Palmer.
WIN: Was that a difficult (weight) cut for you?
Donahoe: No, not really. (Going to) 112 was a little hard, but I made 115 pretty easily.
WIN: Are you going to go back up for the rest of the year?
Donahoe: Yeah, I’ll go back to 119. I’m thinking I’ll go at 112 for the (NHSCA) Senior Nationals, though. Actually, I got invited to the Dapper Dan (Wrestling Classic) at 112, too, but I can’t go there because our state tournament’s on the same weekend. And then I got invited to the Cliff Keen Dream Team Classic, in California, and I’ll be going at 112 (115) for that, too.
WIN: Davison has gone to Ohio to wrestle three years in a row now. What kind of an experience has that been?
Donahoe: It’s been a great experience. Wrestling’s a lot more popular in Ohio, and they have a lot more fans down there. Basically, we pretty much kill everybody in Michigan. Our state only allows us to travel 300 miles (one way), so St. Edward and some of the other Ohio schools are basically the only schools we can wrestle, to get some competition. It’s great competition and it helps our rankings a lot.
WIN: I know you looked forward to wrestling Palmer a lot. You had three takedowns against him, right?
Donahoe: Yeah. All in the first period.
WIN: I know you wanted to stay off the bottom against him, since he’s so tough on top.
Donahoe: (laughs) I don’t know why I couldn’t get out!
WIN: You guys have wrestled at the Medina Tournament a couple of years now. That’s quite an atmosphere, isn’t it?
Donahoe: Yeah. It’s really a great tournament.
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