Published: January 24, 2008 11:43 pm            

Kokomo's Duke focused on making it to state

One hundred.

That’s the number Rico Duke is focused on every day, every match. One hundred, as in 100 percent effort.

Effort, fueled by an unwavering focus, is what’s lifted Duke to an unblemished 38-0 record this season.

“I have a goal now,” said the Kokomo senior. “I have a desire not to lose at all. I want to go to state. That’s my goal. For every match, it’s the state tournament.”

Duke has dominated his opposition this season at 171 pounds. Rarely needing a full six minutes, he’s scored 30 pins. That’s part of the plan. He has a goal of getting to state in four weeks, but he never takes his attention off the opponent that’s in front of him.

“I wrestle every match the same,” Duke said. “Every match is 100 percent. I’ve got a job to do.”

While Duke came into the season confident of success, even he didn’t expect this.

“No, I actually didn’t,” Duke said. “I thought it was going to be a lot tougher. But my [practice] partner Dylan Green, he’s a great partner. He’s helped me a lot.”

Kokomo coach Rob Leavitt said Green and Duke “don’t take it easy on each other in the room.” That’s helped both get better, and helped Duke turn heads. Duke is the last unbeaten wrestler in Howard County and one of just three unbeatens entered in Saturday’s Oak Hill Sectional.

Duke, whose career record now stands at 126-47, has always been capable of greatness, but hasn’t ever put it all together like this season. He reached the semistate as a sophomore at 135 pounds, but was hampered last season by an ankle injury. “He was in a lot of pain until [the season] was over,” Leavitt said.

Duke’s transformation has been striking

“He’s wrestling instead of muscling,” Leavitt said. “He’s always been a strong kid. One thing I talk about a lot is wrestling IQ, and he’s really put it together this year. He’s got great leg attacks and he’s using them. He’s wrestling instead of brawling. He’s got some of the best technique of anybody I’ve ever coached and he’s finally using it the way he could.”

Duke knew several months ago that he’d turned a corner. Finally healed from his ankle injury, he was wrestling at a camp at Purdue and started seeing the fruits of improved training. The camp hosts a tournament with wrestlers from several strong programs and Duke went 10-0. That opened his eyes to what was possible.

A strong football season gave him even more confidence as he headed into the winter. He has a fresh outlook for his final season.

“It’s a lot different because at the beginning of last year I thought I had a goal of going to state because my sophomore year I went to semistate, but then I got injured and after that my confidence went down because I was losing too much,” said Duke, who works out for two hours after every practice. “This year I’ve got a whole new focus.”

Leavitt likes the change.

“We’ve been telling him for four years he’s got that in him and he would show sparks of brilliance where he would wrestle technically sound … and then he falls into his old ways, falling into [relying on] upper body,” Leavitt said. “This year he’s matured a lot in knowing what he needs to do to wrestle at the next level.”

Duke is benefiting from the knowledge of a wrestling family with older brothers who have helped him get to this point. Danny, now 25, reached the semistate during his time at Kokomo and Robert, 22, made it to state as a senior.

Duke says he hears about that from Robert “every day. He drills it into my head. That’s all he has on me. He’s been to state. Big brother, always dogging me.”

Robert helps train Duke and Green regularly. Duke noted his bothers’ instruction and hands-on work have been a big help. He realizes that being the youngest has its advantages.

“They taught me everything they knew growing up so I got all their experience and they still teach me new stuff all the time,” Duke said. “So they’re coaches and at the same time big brothers.”

As the sectional approaches, Leavitt thinks Duke has the ability to make waves in the postseason.

Leavitt said Duke needs to do “the same things he’s been doing all year — wrestle smart, wrestle aggressively. Athletically, I don’t think he’s going to run into a better athlete than he. He just needs to take advantage of that. [He needs to be] very quick, make sure he stays on the leg attacks and not the muscle, brawl attacks. He’s one of the few kids I’ve had who’s blessed with the muscle and technique to go with it.”

Duke’s goal is “to place at state. Not only to make it to state, but I want to place.”

And he’s pretty sure he knows what it’ll take to do that.

“To be in the right mind, going 100 percent,” Duke said. “It’s going to take everything I’ve got.”

        

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