Matthew Moody, a 2014 graduate of Lowndes High, doesn’t wrestle anymore. For many years, the sport defined who he was. During his four years at Lowndes, he was one of the best wrestlers in Georgia. Twice – as a sophomore and a junior – he was the best in the state. Even though his career on the mat is over, he still loves the sport, and more than anything else, he would like to pass that love of wrestling on to a younger generation.
Moody began wrestling when he was in the third grade. His older brother, Andrew, wrestled, so he decided he’d wrestle, too.
“I went to all his tournaments and matches,” Matthew says. “So one day I told my dad I wanted to try it.”
He wrestled in the USA Wrestling program for many years. By the time he reached high school, he was a seasoned competitor who knew how to win.
“I always liked the individual aspect of the sport,” he says. “It was on me if I won, it was on me if I lost. The coaches I had made it fun, too.”
There were some pretty big expectations on Moody when he reached high school. But nobody thought he would accomplish what he did as quickly as he did. As a freshman, Moody placed sixth in the state in the 135-pound class. The next two years, he won state titles in the 145-pound and 152-pound classes. Moody’s senior year, he was state runner-up in the 160-pound class.
“I think people expected me to win eventually, but not as fast as I did,” he says.
When Moody graduated from high school, he had several scholarship offers from smaller schools, but he really didn’t want to wrestle in college.
“I was burnt out a little and I just wanted to relax in college,” he says.
Moody’s goal was to attend the University of Georgia. His plan is to, again, follow what Andrew did, which is spend two years at Valdosta State and then transfer to Georgia. In the meantime, he has something else keeping him busy.
This year, Moody is a community coach with the Pine Grove wrestling program. He says he missed wrestling and wanted to give back to the sport that has meant so much to him.
“I had a great experience wrestling, and I want to help others have a similar experience,” he says. “Watching the kids work and get better is the most enjoyable aspect of coaching. Wrestling is a tough sport and seeing the kids work to improve is a lot of fun.”
The job isn’t without its frustrations, of course. Often what separates a champion from the pack is attention to detail. And that, according to Moody, is what’s so hard to get the kids to realize.
“The details are the difference between the good and the bad,” he says. “If they can master the little things, they will be good.”
At the time of this writing, Pine Grove had competed in one match. Moody was pleased with the team’s results; they had two first-place finishers, and four others came in second.
The biggest lessons wrestling taught Moody were self-confidence and patience.
“When I went on the mat, I knew I could beat my opponent,” he says. “That gave me confidence in other areas in my life. It made me a harder worker in the classroom and outside of school. It also taught me to respect other people and be patient; to let the match develop in front of me. I want to pass those same lessons on to others.”
Special Feature/South Georgia/January 2016
Matthew Moody
Valdosta State University
Valdosta, Georgia
Where Are They Now: Matthew Moody
By Robert Preston Jr.
Photography: Micki K Photography
