Triumph Over Fear Leads to Central Regional Kalyph Hardy's Group VI Wrestling Title

Central Regional junior Kalyph Hardy was upfront about the reason he surprisingly decided to join the winter track team this season, after having wrestled in the winter since he was in middle school.

“It was fear,’’ he said. “Fear of getting hurt. So to beat around the bush, I went out for track.’’

During his sophomore season on the wrestling mat, Hardy looked to be on his way to stardom, compiling an 18-1 record. However, he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee in a match, ending his season two weeks before the NJSIAA District 24 Tournament was set to begin.

Hardy performed the proper rehabilitation on it and came back for a record-setting football season this past fall. The junior running back exploded for a school record 1,620 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns and also had a school record 380-yard rushing effort in a loss to St. John Vianney. His exploits on the football field have garnered recruiting interest from Maryland, Rutgers, North Carolina, Central Florida and Miami.

When it came to getting back on the wrestling mat, however, Hardy initially could not get past the fear that he could possibly injure his knee again.

“I guess he thought lifting and running in the winter would be what he needed to do for himself athletically,’’ Central wrestling coach Mike Bischoff said. “He’s a big boy, and he’s mature enough to make up his own mind. We looked at it as wrestling is a sport where you’re not going to be successful if your heart is not in it. I shook his hand, and I wished him luck.’’

Hardy joined the track team to keep himself in shape, but the gravitational pull of the wrestling room started to exert its force.

“Every day I would go and walk by the wrestling room and see them working hard,’’ Hardy said. “It just looked fun.’’

Shortly before Christmas, a text message buzzed on the phones of the wrestling staff from a certain former wrestler.

“He then asked one of my assistants, ‘If I come back, do you think coach Bischoff will give me my singlet back?' ’’ Bischoff said, then smiled.

After getting back in the good graces of the coaches, Hardy then had to convince his teammates that his head was back in the game.

“When I got back in the wrestling room, I went to the team and asked them if they would have me back, because I felt like I disappointed them,’’ he said. “They were glad to have me back, and I was glad to be back.’’

Hardy worked his way back into wrestling shape rapidly, and his athleticism showed itself immediately. He only had one match under his belt against Brick before he wrestled in the Hawk Classic at Manchester, and he went out and won the tournament title at 160 pounds by beating Raritan’s highly-regarded Joe Masi, 3-2, in the championship.

That kicked off a dominant run that added its latest chapter on Saturday at the Poland Spring Arena in Toms River, when Hardy went from a kid who wasn’t even on the team at the beginning of the season to a wrestler who became Central’s first Region VI champion since Nick Weaver in 2006. Hardy, who entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed at 160, improved to 34-0 with a 3-2 decision over Jackson Liberty’s Nick Zak in the final to add a Region title to his District 24 title.

“You can see that when he wants to, he can do great things,’’ Bischoff said. “I think he likes the bright lights and the big crowds, and I think he’s going to like it this week even better.’’

Hardy’s Region VI title means he has advanced to the NJSIAA Individual Championships this coming weekend at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The event starts with the pre-quarterfinal round on Friday night and concludes with the state finals on Sunday.

“It was basically unfinished business that brought me back,’’ Hardy said. “I didn’t get to finish up last year, and I love this sport. It’s amazing to think that if I stayed on the track team, I would not be a District or a Region champ, so it feels really good that I made this decision.’’

After having never wrestled in the crucible of the Region VI spotlight and having played in relative obscurity on a football team that finished 1-9, Hardy was able to handle the type of pressurized atmosphere than often rattles most wrestlers.

“It’s just maturity,’’ he said. “Last year I would be nervous, but coach (Bischoff) told me a story about a kid who had the flu, went to the hospital Friday, was rushed to another hospital on Saturday, and then on Sunday his lungs collapsed. His parents should be nervous because they could lose their son. Nothing on the mat is compared to something like that in real life, so there is nothing to be nervous about.’’

Hardy also has quietly emerged as one of the best all-around athletes in the Shore Conference. Not only is he being recruited by Division I-A football programs, but he also has wrestling programs like Rutgers and North Carolina interested in him.

“His wrestling skills have come a long way,’’ Bischoff said. “I want him to do what he wants to do, but if he did put in the time like the year-round wrestlers we have, then the sky would be the limit for him.’’

Choosing between wrestling and football at the collegiate level is a decision for another day. Right now, Hardy is savoring his championship and happy he decided not to become the best wrestling sprinter in the Shore Conference.