It was Feb. 28, 2015 and Hamilton West junior Chris Stout sat with Hornets assistant wrestling coach Matt Minder at Robbinsville High School, watching the 170-pound Region 7 final between Kenny Long of Holy Cross and Moorestown’s Anthony Williamson.
Stout had just been defeated by Cherokee’s Jesse Streb in the third-place consolation bout, costing him a trip to the states. As they watched Long work his way to a region title, the Hornet turned to Minder.
“He said ‘Coach, I could have had 100 wins.’” said Minder, who is Hamilton’s head coach this season. “I said ‘I know, you could have.’ He was watching this match, and it just dawned on him that he could have had a hundred.”
Unfortunately, Stout learned a hard lesson about high school athletics earlier that season. Making the grade on the mat only comes by getting the grades in the classroom, and due to poor grades, Stout was forced to sit out the bulk of his junior year.
Coming off a district championship his sophomore year, Stout was geared for bigger and better things on the mat, until he learned two weeks before the season that he was academically ineligible. The news rocked him but did not devastate him. He continued to go to practice and work hard, and did the same with schoolwork.
““I was unbelievably surprised he held in that long,” said Mike Merrigan, the Hornets head coach last year after 2015’s districts. “It’s so difficult knowing ‘Hey, I’m giving it my all, I’m going through hell in practice, and I can’t wrestle.’ He was itching to go, from day one. I could see him almost salivating. He’s really into the sport. He wanted to wrestle so badly.”
Once Stout returned later that season, he didn’t mess around, winning 11 straight matches, including his second district championship, before losing his final two in the region semifinal and consolation bouts.
And while his ineligibility cost him a chance at the century mark in wins, it had a positive impact as well. Stout feels like a new man after what he lost as a junior.
“I really missed it last year, and this year I’m really enjoying it,” he said. “It’s great to be back, great to be with my team, back in the room working hard. I hope this year I do as well as I ever did. I’m just going out there and doing everything I can.”
He not only has a new appreciation toward wrestling, but a greater understanding of the importance of education. Stout noted he’s getting mostly A’s and B’s this year, and is hoping to try and wrestle in college. On the mat, he won his first eight bouts this season.
Being sidelined made Stout realize that he had some maturing to do.
“I just needed to grow up,” he said. “I know that school is before everything, and just getting everything done in class comes before everything else. School is a privilege, too. You get your school work done and then you have fun.”
Minder added that his star wrestler no longer takes anything for granted when it comes to being on the mat.
“It’s cliché, but he knows it’s something that can be taken away, because it was,” the coach said. “You always say it could be taken away, but it was gone and he realizes it. He knows it means a lot to him. It’s not something you’re given, it’s something you have to work for and earn.”
Wrestling has been in Stout’s blood ever since he was 5-years-old, and his dad encouraged him to sign up for Hamilton PAL.
At first, though, it made his blood boil. He hated the sport.
“It was hard. You had to work hard and do all this stuff,” he said. “I just didn’t like it because I was a lazy kid.”
The fact he didn’t win much didn’t help, either. After a stretch of watching other kids stand atop podiums, Stout realized he had to start working hard.
He really fell in love with the sport once his work paid off and he started winning, around fifth or sixth grade.
“This is my sport, and I love going out there, I love wrestling,” he said. “It’s like a fight for me, I can get all my aggression out. And now I’m doing everything I can. I just want to get better and better every day.”
Stout’s freshman season at Hamilton resulted in an 8-12 record at 138 pounds, which included a first-round loss at the districts.
His sophomore year he improved to 26-11, finished fifth in the Mercer County meet at 170 pounds and won the District 25 title. He was unable to wrestle in counties last year and finished at 11-2 with his second straight district crown.
This year?
“I want to go out there and get into states,” Stout said. “I want to go out there and win all the titles. I want them all, so I’ve got a lot to work on.”
Over the summer Stout wrestled in several tournaments at Robbinsville High and said he did well, only losing a handful of matches.
He also played football for the first time last fall, and actually won a game against Nottingham by returning an interception for a touchdown from his linebacker spot.
“Football helped (with wrestling) a little bit because in football you do a lot of running around, and I think I got a good workout in,” Stout said. “And just being with the team. A lot of my wrestling friends played football. We were out there as a team and having fun.”
Minder feels that football helped Stout gain more strength. He will be wrestling at 182 this year, and he has won some bouts at 195.
“He’s getting down to the weight he’s supposed to be at but still has a little more strength than he had last year,” the coach said. “He still has the technical ability since he’s been wrestling as a kid. He’s also added maturity in tight spots. In those hard matches when he’s down 1-0 or when he’s up 1-0, he knows what to do and what not to do. And he’s got a little more strength to help him in those tough situations.”
For Stout, there was no tougher situation than having to watch his teammates while being unable to help them. It was a hard lesson, but one that is paying dividends.
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