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SPENCER —Aaron Rimer started wrestling in the seventh grade because he got cut from the North Rowan Middle basketball team.
Even before this season, Rimer cared more about RBIs and pop-ups than reversals and pins once March approached.
Rimer is now a senior at North, and he has finally come to grips with the fact his stellar wrestling career has served a greater purpose than just keeping him busy until baseball season starts.
Rimer will wrestle as a Cavalier for the last time this weekend, when he competes in the 1A-2A State Championships at Cricket Arena in Charlotte.
Rimer, who made it to the finals at 145 pounds last season, should contend for a title at 152 pounds on Saturday.
Rimer will face much tougher competition due to his seven-pound ascent, but he has also improved his mental approach since last year’s championships.
“He’s been a lot more dedicated in practice,” North coach Tim Burns said. “He’s focused on wrestling right now. Usually, by now, he’s ready for baseball.”
Rimer enters this weekend with a 23-2 record, and he earned the Mideast Region’s No. 2 seed with his performance last weekend at Eastern Guilford.
Rimer, who will take on Lejeune’s Thomas Mastrofilippo in Friday’s first round, said he has taken this season more seriously for the simple reason that it is his last.
“Your senior year, you have to be more focused,”Rimer said. “It’s your last year, you want to try and go out with a bang. You’ve worked four years to get to this point.”
The hard work paid off before this season kicked off. Rimer struggled to a 9-20 record as a freshman, but he reached the 100-win plateau for his career earlier this year
Rimer wrestled at 145 pounds last season, but a small growth spurt, along with added muscle mass, have forced him to compete almost entirely at 152 pounds in 2002.
Rimer admits that another run to the state finals has increased in difficulty due to his departure from the 145-pound class.
“If I could have made it there,it would be a whole lot easier,” Rimer said.
Each bracket comprises 16 competitors, and the wrestlers vying for a title at 145 pounds have combined for 107 losses this season.
The 16 participants at 152 have lost a total of only 84 matches. Randleman’s Zac Matson, who knocked off Rimer in double-overtime of the regional finals last weekend, comes into the championships with a 32-1 record.
Rimer wouldn’t have to face Matson until the finals, but he could meet Bunn’s Brad Ribble (39-5) in one semifinal.
Rimer has prepared for the tough weekend that lies ahead by practicing at 4A power Davie County on Monday and Wednesday.
“Davie’s a real good mat wrestling team, and Aaron is good on his feet,”Burns said. “I felt like he needed to go somewhere where he could work on top and bottom.”
Rimer’s extra work will prevent him from having the same regrets that popped up after last year’s loss to Salisbury’s Willie Hosch in the finals. Rimer said he wished he had been in better shape then and wanted to win more.
Rimer showed off his level of fitness by persevering through two double-overtime matches in the regionals.
His mental state couldn’t be in better shape, although he likes to joke around with Burns about his level of commitment.
“I play around with Coach and tell him that I don’t want to wrestle any more, I want to play baseball,” Rimer said.
That chance will come soon enough for Rimer, who gets a final opportunity to prove that the North Middle basketball coaches did him a huge favor.
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Contact Bret Strelow at 704-797-4258 or bstrelow@salisburypost.com
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