Trojans' Mensah enjoying standout mat season
Wauwatosa West senior leaving his mark on the mat
Wauwatosa West senior Demetrious Mensah is having an outstanding final season, as he is among the all-time team leaders in wins and takedowns. Photo By Jill Morin
It is a good thing Wauwatosa West senior Demetrious Mensah didn't follow through on his thoughts to hang up his wrestling tights at the end of his sixth-grade regular season.
"That first year was a very difficult year," Mensah said. "My first year I didn't win a single match. I actually got to the point where I wanted to quit. But coach (Randy) Ferrell and my dad (John) and my mom (Jennifer) kept me in it and encouraged me."
So Mensah listened to his coach and parents and success quickly followed, as he took part in the conference tournament and finished second.
"I thought it was going to be easier than what it was," the soft-spoken Mensah said. "(After taking second in conference) I didn't give up. I wanted to keep pushing at it because I wanted to succeed."
Mensah is the top wrestler on the Wauwatosa East/West co-op team, and he is having an excellent senior season, with 32 wins and two losses and a current 30-match winning streak. His career record is 85-28, which puts him seventh on the all-time career wins list in Tosa history.
"He's one of those kids who keeps me coming back," veteran Tosa coach Kent Morin said. "Everything he's gotten, all the success he's had, is the result of hard work."
Like most athletes who excel in their sports, Mensah wrestles year-round.
He has been a member of the Wisconsin Freestyle National Team that competed in Fargo, N.D., the past two summers. He also works out at Ringers, the local wrestling club that attracts some of the best wrestlers in the area.
Mensah is constantly looking for ways to get better, which is one reason he works out at Ringers when he gets the opportunity - there are a couple national champions there he wrestles with, and he gets better because of it.
"You are never around people who don't want to get better," Mensah said of the Ringers group. "You are always around people who want to excel."
Mensah didn't have to look hard to find people who wanted to be successful on the mat.
His father, John, who is a Marine, was a wrestler, as were his older brothers, Christopher, 21, and Joseph, 20.
"One thing my dad always taught me," Mensah said, "He would say: 'Wrestle smart. Be aggressive, wrestle smart. That was the main thing he would always tell me."
During a good junior season, Mensah learned a lesson about how to enjoy success without letting it get to his head.
"When people let their success get to them, it contributes to their downfall. I think that's one of the things that got me down last year," he said. "I had a good streak going, I had a good record. I was getting kind of cocky, not working as hard as I could have been, thinking, 'I'm good, I don't have to do that.'
"Now this year, during the offseason, I started to focus more. I told myself 'You can't be doing this any more if you want to go out on top.' "
Morin appreciates the hard work and how much Mensah enjoys giving back.
"He's a quiet leader. When he does say something, guys listen," Morin said. "No question he's the hardest working guy in the room. I have different kids work with him just to see how hard they have to work to be successful."
Mensah is happy to work with other wrestlers and pass on his knowledge.
"You don't want to leave without leaving anything behind," he said. "You want to set an example. You want to leave a legacy.
"You want to coach other kids you are working with so they can do the same things you do. So they can be successful, also."
BY THE NUMBERS
Demetrious Mensah
Wauwatosa West senior
32
career pins, 13th on all-time list
85
career wins, seventh on all-time list
197
career takedowns, fourth on all-list
LAST WEEK'S RESULTS
New Berlin 53, Wauwatosa 16 - Winning their matches Jan. 20 were Corey Jay (10-0, major decision), Ryan Reagan (pin, 5:22) and Demetrious Mensah (pin, 5:26).
Tom Janssen Tournament - Wauwatosa hosted the Tom Janssen Tournament on Saturday at Wauwatosa West, finishing fourth (1-3) in the eight-team event. Tosa beat Waterford (45-27) and then lost three matches to Wisconsin Lutheran (40-32), Manitowoc (45-15) and Lake Geneva Badger (37-22). Mensah (4-0) and Reagan (3-1) had the best day for Tosa, finishing with winning records.
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