Keath Sawdo, a senior at Clay High School, is a wrestler to watch in the Jacksonville area this season. After two straight trips to the state tournament with Middleburgh High School and another with Clay High School last year, during which he placed fifth, Sawdo is looking to make a run for a state title.
Sawdo, who had a 40-12 record last year and wrestles at 145 pounds, said he is working hard on the mental aspect of his game, specifically not allowing opponents to get into his head regardless of their ranks or records.
“I just need to be wrestling my opponent instead of getting caught up with their numbers,” Sawdo said. “That kind of confidence just takes time. It took me till my senior year to harness that kind of skill. This season I want to force guys to make mistakes so I can take advantage of them.”
Clay High School coach Jim Reape said he wants Sawdo to be more assertive.
“He doesn’t have to take a million offensive shots, but we want him to set the tempo,” Reape said. “We want him to force the opponent to move more and deal with his level of fitness, and the longer he can force that guy to go, the better chance he has.”
Conditioning is one of the advantages Sawdo has over many of his opponents. He said he does not touch any food with bad fats. He has not eaten a candy bar or drank a soda in 18 months. Instead, he prefers to eat bananas and almonds. There are no cheat days for Sawdo.
He also trains hard. When he is not conditioning on the mat, he is often alternating sprinting and jogging at the school or between light poles in his neighborhood, building up endurance.
Micheal Sawdo, his father, said his son’s preseason workout routine was consistent and admirable.
“One morning when he woke up early, I said to him, ‘Much respect,’” Michael Sawdo said. “Not all kids go to morning practices. He hasn’t missed one any day.”
Reape said that Keath Sawdo is in incredibly good shape and competes hard.
“He wrestles a very disciplined style,” Reape said. “We’ve only had him two years. It’s amazing how much he has evolved. He’s a really good athlete. He’s the fittest guy we have in all phases.”
Sawdo has had an interesting path to wrestling. He transitioned from soccer to football to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu before finally settling on wrestling in the seventh grade.
“My parents took me out of soccer after I was shoulder checking the other kids down,” Sawdo said, laughing. “My parents knew it was time for contact sports, which got me into football. Then I was tired of playing on a team, and I went to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Next, I started doing one-on-one sports, and I liked the grappling scene. When I went to junior high, I heard about coach Reape and his program and decided to give it a try.”
His initial practice at Lake Asbury Jr. High gave Sawdo a glimpse of his future.
“Before wrestling I didn’t really know what a hard work ethic was,” Sawdo said. “After my first day of conditioning in seventh grade, I crawled back to my dad’s car and got in the back seat completely out of breath. I thought to myself how am I going to do this, but I was back the very next day.”
Besides his parents, Reape is probably the biggest influence in Sawdo’s life.
“Coach Reape made me a better person as far as my grades, attitude, and even on the mat itself,” Sawdo said. “He’s a real great guy to say the least.”
Micheal Sawdo said the coaching staff at Clay High School is amazing and elite.
“My son and I are very close,” Michael Sawdo said. “We have a tight family. Coach Reape and coach Hunter Hill are literally his second fathers. The respect he has for coach Reape is shown on the mat and (in) how hard he trains. One compliment from coaches motivates him the rest of the practice.”
The discipline learned from sports has also helped Keath Sawdo academically.
“Sometimes I have a lack of time, but wrestling teaches me to put my nose down and get to work,” Keath Sawdo said. “It (wrestling) taught me how to embrace it (academics) instead of worry about it.”
Reape said Sawdo shows up to class and does what his teachers ask with no excuses.
“He takes pride in his work,” Reape said. “He’s a great example of his parenting. His parents did a great job. In junior high he took losses hard. It’s amazing how far he has come. Sports have been great for Keath.”
Sawdo credits his family for his achievements.
“They are the base for all of it,” Sawdo said. “In so many tournaments, not many parents are there, but my mom, dad, and sisters are always in the stands. They give me constructive criticism, and I know they love me and want to see me do my best.”
There are two heralded wrestlers – two-time state champ Anthony Artalona of Tampa Prep and three-time state champ Jake Brindley of Lake Highland Prep – in the 145-pound weight class whom Sawdo might have to beat in his desire to win the state tournament. Reape also said the heralded pair might end up in the 152-pound weight class instead of 145. Sawdo will likely face one or both of them in the upcoming Green Cove Rotary tournament the first weekend of February.
“I’m more prepared now and really psyched to face them,” Sawdo said. “If I overcome them, my goals are a lot closer than I originally thought it would be. It’ll be good to test out to see where I am.”
On the local level, Fleming Island has emerged as the Blue Devils’ biggest rivals, so Sawdo said winning locally is as important as winning state.
“Overall coach Reape is pushing us to be the top dog locally,” Sawdo said. “Our main competition is Fleming Island. We want to be the best around, and we want everyone to know it.”
Sawdo said being a member of the Blue Devil wrestling team usually draws interest when he is out in the community. He said Clay High School’s reputation as a wrestling power-house was a bit intimidating until he embraced the expectations instead of shying away from them.
The natural question for Sawdo to deal with in a few months is whether or not his wrestling career continues in college.
“It’s a thought I’ve been battling for the past couple of months, but I think if I didn’t wrestle I would miss it so much,” Sawdo said. “I have some more time to think about it. We’ve got a couple of letters from schools. My dad keeps track of it more than I do. There are more coming in now than last year.”
Michael Sawdo said his son did very well on his ACT and is eligible for the Bright Futures Scholarship Program that would benefit him if he stays in Florida.
“He has three schools who are recruiting him,” Michael Sawdo said. “If he does want to wrestle, then he wants to be at a D-I school. We understand it’s another four years of a grind, so we will see.”
Reape said Keath Sawdo will make a very functional wrestler in college.
Sawdo, who enjoys playing video games or hanging out with his friends at the movies, said he hears from numerous people that he should join the track team. Sawdo said he would entertain the idea of taking up boxing one day to get a fresh feel for a new sport since he has been wrestling since seventh grade.
Unlike some wrestlers, Sawdo has been injury free for most of his career, the exception being when he broke his left hand early in last year’s season.
Keep an eye on Sawdo and the Blue Devils this season as they challenge again for a state title.
Northeast Florida February 2017
Inside The Game
Written by: Brent Beaird
