Port Clinton’s Malakii Pinkelton won a state wrestling championship in the fifth grade and finished runner-up in the third grade.
“My dad taught me my whole life, nobody remembers who finished second,” Pinkelton said.
Pinkelton is unbeaten in 37 matches as a senior, including Sandusky Bay Conference and sectional crowns. The league championship was his second and the sectional crown his third.
“I gotta be a state champion,” he said. “It’s as simple as that. This is my last year wrestling. The moment I get to state, it’s kill or be killed. Second at state is a loss — second is a great accomplishment, placing — but I gotta win it. That’s that.”
Pinkelton was fifth at state last season, with only seniors above him on the podium and he also qualified as a sophomore.
“There are a lot of different styles to wrestle against,” he said. “I’ve learned their styles and contradict what they’re doing. Cardio and (navigating) different styles is what separates the state champs. I’ve only been taken down once this year.
“I’ve wrestled great wrestlers (the last three years). It helped me to know there was more work to do. This year is my time to go.”
He knows that his opponents know Pinkelton’s record is unblemished this season.
“Anybody who beat me can say they beat an undefeated record,” he said. “I don’t plan on losing. I have a target on my back. It means a lot. I have to protect that. I have to make sure nobody takes that from me.”
Pinkelton pinned Edison’s Bentley Illuzzi in the second period at 190 pounds for the 150th victory of his career at the SBC Bay Division tourney. Pinkelton, who has 153 wins and 27 losses overall, is second all-time for program wins by 11 and first for pins.
“99.9% of wrestlers don’t get there,” Pinkelton said. “As a football player, it means a lot to show I’m a two-way athlete and I can dominate in both sports. I believed I could (win 150 matches). Now, I’m chasing that state championship.”
Pinkelton continues his football career as a running back at Ohio Dominican.
“Coach (Kelly) Cummings has a son who wrestles and he understands wrestlers are a different breed,” he said. “Coach Ben Burns is a great guy. The people drew us in. It felt like the right fit. It’s always been my dream to play football at the collegiate level.
“I chose the one who truly believes in me.”
Pinkelton’s dad taught his son to believe in himself long ago. He has two weeks left on the wrestling mat.
“Stick to the basics,” he said. “I learned to perfect the basic moves and stay happy in my matches. My style is having fun. I look at my family and smile and I stay confident and composed. Be myself every match. Before every match, I have my music and I jam out.
“During my match, I jam out.”
mhorn@gannett.com
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This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Port Clinton senior Malakii Pinkelton jams his way to unbeaten record
Reporting by Matthew Horn, Fremont News-Messenger / Fremont News-Messenger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
