Dylan James wrestles Seneca’s Roosevelt Jordan during the Region 7 quarterfinals at Robbinsville on Feb. 21. (Photo by Albert Rende.)
Dylan James has no doubt in his mind he will be back at the NJSIAA State Wrestling Championships as a senior.
Judging by his track record in high school, there is no reason to doubt him.
The Robbinsville High School junior has shown steady improvement ever since his freshman season, culminating with a trip to Atlantic City in March, where he won his first-round match at 138 pounds before dropping his next two to finish the campaign at 34-7.
“I was happy with the way things went this year,” James said. “Obviously, when you get down there it was a little bit of a letdown, but to get to states as a junior a good accomplishment.”
It was further than he had ever gone before.
As a freshman, James finished fourth in the Mercer County Tournament at 113 pounds and lost in the quarterfinals of the District 25 Tournament. He thought he was prepared for high school wrestling, but after the season, he realized he needed to learn a few things. He worked on wrestling smarter and keeping his head in the match, even when he was down.
Last year, James finished third in the counties at 126 and won his first district title, but he fell in two straight Region 7 matches to finish at 30-10. The districts win brought his confidence up, and proved his work had paid off.
The upward trend continued this season at an even higher weight, as he won counties and districts at 138 pounds and took third in the regions to advance to AC, a goal of his from the beginning.
“Winning the county title was a minor goal along the way, but the major goal from the start of practice was to wrestle down in Atlantic City,” James said.
Sophomore 132-pounder Kyle Twamley, who has been James’s workout partner since the two were kids, feels the junior’s goal-setting is part of what makes him good.
“He’s a really hard worker,” Twamley said. “He has dreams and goals that he sets for himself and he won’t stop until he achieves his goals.”
True to that, James wrote “Get to Atlantic City this year” on a piece of paper and hung it up on his bedroom wall to keep the ideal fresh in his mind.
James was a machine in districts as he pinned three straight foes—two came in the first period and one came within the first minute. At regions, he reached the semifinals before being decisioned by Camden Catholic’s Mark McCormick. With his season facing an end, James rallied to decision Cinnaminson’s Anthony Pencook in the consolation semifinals, and Collingswood’s Shawn Clark in the third-place bout.
“I knew [McCormick] was a really good wrestler,” James said. “I wasn’t that upset about the loss. It’s still disappointing because I knew one more loss, and I wouldn’t make it to AC.”
As a wrestler, James said he knew he was level with his competitors. The intangibles would be the deciding factor.
Upon getting to Boardwalk Hall, he was exposed to a whole new world that he eagerly devoured.
“It was a really cool experience to watch all the fans when you warm up,” James said. “That’s something you dream about when you’re a little kid. Once the wrestling started, all the nerves just kind of went away. I’m happy with the way I wrestled down there. All the kids down there are tough. Every match is going to be a close one. One mistake here or there and that’s it.”
James wasn’t exaggerating when he talked about his dreams as a little kid.
He started wrestling at age 5 when one of his tee-ball teammates was talking about his dad who wrestled. His dad told Ed James about the sport, and Ed immediately signed his son up with Robbinsville Recreation.
“I really didn’t know what to think of it at the time,” James said. “But it was kind of cool because everything was just like, if you did something you earned it. And I’ve always liked that aspect of wrestling a lot.”
James stayed with the recreation dual team up until high school, but for the most part, he entered tournaments as an independent.
His travels took him throughout the state and as far as Virginia Beach. In sixth grade, he took second in the Youth States. In eighth grade, he won the South Jersey States. In ninth grade, he was sixth in the War at the Shore and won the South Region at Mahwa, Maryland. The out-of-state competition exposed James to more skilled athletes and made him a better wrestler as a result.
This past season, he made a big leap in weight. James originally planned to wrestle at 126 again, but began to realize he wasn’t going to be able to make the weight. The adjustment to a higher weight class was easier than he anticipated.
“When I got bumped to 145 for most of the season, that helped me when I came down to 38 for districts,” he said. “You definitely have to wrestle with more technique when you’re wrestling bigger guys.”
Twamley said any weight is the right one for James.
“When he wrestled 145, everyone on the team thought maybe wouldn’t do as well as if he went down to 126,” he said. “But wherever he thinks he has the best chance, that’s where he’ll go and it worked out for him.”
Twamley also said James has forced him into a higher level during practice. James can be strong or fast, whatever he needs to do to bring out the best in his teammates.
James will continue to work out at All Heart Wrestling in Hamilton in the offseason and is already thinking about his senior year.
“Getting to states this year is definitely going to help,” he said. “Now I know what it’s like to wrestle down there. I’m used to the style of how the kids wrestle. When I get back down next year, I’ll be ready for it.”
Not “if” he gets down there. It’s “when” he gets down there. His steady progress makes that statement tough to argue with.
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