Craig Wins Junior Hodge Trophy
Throughout his high-school career, David Craig was labeled as a “can’t-miss” prospect. As it turned out, there was a reason for that: Craig never missed.
The Brandon (Fla.) High ace ended his high-school career as one of the all-time greats at a school that has produced a lot of great wrestlers.
And after being tabbed the nation’s top sophomore, the nation’s top junior and the nation’s top senior, the 171-pounder concludes his high-school career with another prestigious honor.
Craig is the 2006 recipient of the WIN Magazine/AAU Junior Dan Hodge Trophy given to the top high school wrestler in the nation.
“It’s a great honor,” said Craig, the first wrestler from the state of Florida to receive the award. “There were a lot of tough seniors this year.”
A 53-0 record as a senior helped Craig conclude a career that never saw him lose a high-school match. He finished his high-school career with a sterling mark of 182-0 with 102 pins.
A second consecutive 171-pound title made Craig the sixth four-time state champion in Florida history and the second from Brandon High. The first was University of Pennsylvania freshman Cesar Grajales, who won his fourth state title a year ago.
A capacity crowd at the Lakeland Civic Center gave Craig a standing ovation as he received his medal on the top step of the awards stand.
“I knew this was my last year, and the last time to be with my teammates and everybody at Brandon High School,” Craig said. “I had a great time. It was really fun. I went out there and wrestled all my matches as I expected I would, and it was just a great, great ending.”
After winning the title with four first-period pins as a junior, Craig was on his way to pinning his way through the state tournament again.
After getting to the finals with three more pins, he won his fourth title by injury default when his opponent, Pete DiPaul of Orange Park Ridgeview High, fractured his collarbone during the match.
Last November, Craig became an integral part of a signing class that could become one of the best in the long and distinguished history of Lehigh University wrestling. That class also includes four-time New Jersey champion Mike Grey of Morristown Delbarton High, fellow Garden State standout Alex Caruso of Watchung Hills High, three-time Utah champion Levi Mele of Vernal Uintah High and Pennsylvania champion Patrick Flynn of Quakertown High.
A member of the United States team in this year’s Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic, Craig got a chance to spend some time with Flynn, his future roommate at Lehigh and a member of the Pennsylvania team. In addition to wrestling and other small talk, the two got a chance to talk about another favorite subject: the Philadelphia-based snack cake tradition, Tastykakes.
“My favorite is the chocolate crème cakes,” Craig said. “Flynn’s mom sent them to me in the mail.”
Both wrestlers also were winners for their respective teams. Flynn nipped New Jersey champion Keith Dobish of Lodi High, 3-1, at 189, but his teammates couldn’t muster enough victories as the United States won 31-15.
As for Craig, his match came last. His opponent was Maryland-recruit Mike Letts of Atglen Octorara High, a two-time Class AA state champion and the Outstanding Wrestler in this year’s state meet.
Nursing a 3-2 lead late into the match, Craig was penalized for stalling to tie the score at 3-all before taking Letts down in the final five seconds to win 5-3.
The other two finalists for the award, Grey and Colorado’s Henry Cejudo, both come from the 125-pound class. Cejudo, 151-2 on his career, is ranked No. 1 and is leaning towards skipping college to work exclusively on freestyle (see story on page 45.) He won the U.S. Nationals on the senior level on April 15. Grey, ranked No. 2 with a 158-2 record, became the first four-timer in New Jersey history.
Criteria for the award are very similar to the Dan Hodge Trophy, given to the most dominant collegiate wrestler. Jr. Hodge criteria include: record, number of pins, academic standing, sportsmanships/citizenship, dominance on the mat, past credentials, quality of competition and heart.
In the past, the award has been publically presented at the recipient’s first home collegiate dual in the fall. n