Eric Lusk
Sports Editor
elusk@elkintribune.com

BOONVILLE — As Starmount’s Matthew Walker prepared for the state wrestling tournament back in February, he wondered if his matches at Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem might be his last competitive duels in the sport.

Walker had gotten some looks from area colleges — for both wrestling and football — but nothing was guaranteed.

Then Walker stepped onto the mats and grappled to third place at 189 pounds, defeating the defending 2A/1A state champion in his final bout. That performance opened a door that not only helped Walker athletically but also academically.

Walker was approached by St. Andrews Presbyterian College after the tournament. He took a visit to the campus and ended up signing a letter of intent in the spring to join the Knights’ wrestling program for 2009-10.

Walker said the Laurinburg school, which competes at the Division II level, not only offered him the chance to continue grappling at the collegiate level but also to pursue the field of study he is most interested in, equestrian sciences.

“It’s a great privilege to further my wrestling career,” Walker said. “Now I can go to school where I can wrestle and where I can major in the career I want to go into.”

During his sports career at Starmount, Walker developed a reputation for having a toughness and intensity that belied his 5-foot-7, 185-pound size.

He played on the line during football season, earning all-conference honors on both sides of the ball his junior and senior years. He was voted the Mountain Valley 2A Conference Defensive MVP in 2008 after finishing with more than 100 tackles, four sacks and eight tackles for loss.

When Starmount had the ball, Rams running backs like Rashaun Gaither (school record 2,138 yards) often followed Walker’s blocks, especially when the play went to the outside.

“Walker, when he runs the corner, somebody is going to get knocked out,” football teammate Jerome Gadberry said last fall before a state playoff game. “That’s a Walker play right there. He’ll come and get you.”

That same ferocious approach carried over to the wrestling mats, Starmount grappling coach Ryan Crater said. Walker exhibited an extra dose of mental toughness this past season, considering the Rams were playing football well into December — a month after wrestling practice had started.

“He played in the (football) semifinals and then had to turn around and come back for wrestling season, in a weight class that was totally loaded,” Crater said. “He is probably one of the toughest wrestlers I’ve ever coached. I can’t wait to see him when he gets to St. Andrews.”

Walker won a conference championship in wrestling as a junior but missed out on the state tournament because of illness.

He faced a tough road getting back to state this past winter because of the competition in his weight class. Two of the top grapplers from the region, Wilkes Central’s Vincent Beam (defending state champion) and North Surry’s Tommy McMillan, were both in Starmount’s conference. Only four wrestlers per region can advance.

Walker ended up third in this year’s regional, beating Beam for third place. McMillan placed first, though he had to rally late to beat Walker in the semifinals after falling behind 6-3.

Once at state, Walker blitzed his first foe 20-4, then won his second match 7-2. Walker lost to eventual state runner-up Brach Walker of McMichael but rebounded to capture a consolation championship, topping Beam again (4-3) on the way to third place.

“He beat a state champion three times this season,” Crater said. “He’s athletic, strong as an ox and he works hard. It’s all up to Matthew now. I think he’ll go up there to St. Andrews and represent Starmount High School well.”

Walker is the son of Dale and Renee Ring. His Starmount coaches included Crater, Rodney Bates and Dexter Crater (Ryan’s father).

“I was striving for a state championship but I am happy with what I did this year,” Walker said. “I finally got into the groove of wrestling right before the state tournament. It opened up my heart back to wrestling...

“I love wrestling. It really teaches you discipline. If not for wrestling, I probably would have gone to a community college, but wrestling has opened up opportunities for me. I couldn’t have done any of this without the coaches. They pushed me as hard as I’ve ever been pushed, and I appreciate them for it.”