Outstanding Indian -- Devonte Waters

Indian River senior wrestler Devonte Waters landed a 3-1 decision win in overtime against Laurel’s Jake Furbush, in the Indians’ 68-9 victory over the Bulldogs last Friday, Jan. 6. Although he is one of six seniors on the team, Waters is a first-year wrestler at Indian River, and is proving that sometimes, determination and perseverance can outweigh experience.

Waters has accepted the role of wrestling up to the heavyweight class, 285-pounds, but, more often than not, is considerably outweighed, in terms of his competitor. “In a lot of cases,” said Indian River’s head wrestling coach, Jeff Windish, “Devonte is giving up anywhere from 30 to 70 pounds. He’s a 200-pound wrestler, competing at 285-pounds. As a first-year wrestler, he has a big learning curve ahead of him but makes up for it in his athleticism and desire not to lose. He wants to win every match, and against Laurel, he found a way to win in overtime. Most of the time, he’s wrestling kids with more experience and size, but he keeps at it to find a way to win.”