The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Keystone junior growing as leader
Among the more athletic 215-pound wrestlers in the area, Keystone’s Jordan Folmer has continued to move a little deeper into the season every year in high school.
Near the back end of Keystone’s wrestling lineup, Folmer is a twotime district qualifier who has grown — both figuratively and literally — since starting to wrestle in seventh grade. Outside of defending state champion Tristin Greene (157), Folmer is one of Keystone’s strongest athletes in wrestling
“From (Jordan’s) middle school days, he’s been doing the extra stuff,” Keystone coach Chris Vondruska recalled. “He went out and trained and competed with a team in North Carolina — him and Jonathan Gould (190). They’re going to be our only two seniors next year. Those guys have been doing the extra stuff, doing what it takes (to compete).”
Folmer has been at 215 pounds for two years now and Vondruska has been proud to see what he has accomplished in a tough weight class. From middle school to now, Folmer’s come a long way — from not doing so well in seventh grade, doing better in eighth grade and as a freshman before dipping a little last year.
“I jumped again but I had a slump,” Folmer said of his sophomore campaign. Part of the slump he attributed to the extra workouts in the weight room he was doing at the time.
“I just wasn’t going anywhere. And then this year, I felt in July that it’s going to be a good year. So during football season, I felt that for wrestling it was going to be a good year and it shows. It’s been a really good year for me.”
Folmer’s last two years have ended in the district round, with each year doing a little bit better. He knows he can get through and he could be a good bet to potentially join Greene in Columbus come March.
“My first year I really just wanted to make it to districts. I knew I didn’t have enough to go to states,” the junior said. “Last year, I wasn’t doubting myself I would say, but it was ‘let’s just get further in districts’ and I did. What I’ve really learned this year with the tournaments I’ve had is I need to get stronger. Once I get that strength, it’ll be a lot easier to go through districts and get to state.
“I know I’ve got the speed and stamina. It’s just the strength I’m lacking a little bit,” noting even if he tires out, he’s in a good spot to still compete as long as he can keep his strength up late in matches.
Another aspect of Folmer that isn’t his wrestling ability is his ability to be a vocal leader, one that has been looked up to by other teammates, with the influence of guys like Greene and senior Paul Horten as other examples of how to lead.
“They’ve had a big influence on him, but he’s had a big influence on the guys, too,” Vondruska said. “(Jordan) and Paul Horten are really close and they do football and wrestling together.
“Something that him and Paul have in common — because Paul is definitely our leader this year — is they just have a deep relationship with every person on the team, which is tough.
“I don’t always have a deep relationship with everybody on the team. I should as the leader of the program, and it’s tough. … But I can say to everybody on the team ‘Hey, what do you think of Jordan?’ and it’s going to always be something positive like ‘Hey, Jordan always makes me laugh’ or ‘He’s just a really hard worker.’ ”
With Greene more of the ‘lead by actions’ type, Folmer’s vocal style has been a good fit in the Wildcats’ wrestling room.
“It’s taken me a while to get where I am and I have to say it’s a lot to (Keystone football) coach (Don) Griswold and what he’s taught a lot,” Folmer noted. “From the beginning of the year with wrestling, I learned one kid — Owen Jenkins — he wasn’t good last year and slacked off a lot. Then I got on him at the beginning of this year and I’ve seen him grow. He’s been placing in tournaments.
“A lot of people have followed behind me in getting on other, which I like.”
Especially singling out Horten as a positive influence, Folmer is hoping to “embody” what Horten does this year when he’s one of the top dogs next year after Horten graduates this spring.