Husker Pokorny adjusts to new daily challenges
One year ago, Andy Pokorny wrapped up one of the most-storied high school wrestling careers in Nebraska history.
He walked off the mat at the state meet - having won his last 105 matches and three straight state titles - and headed to Nebraska.
The 125-pound star athlete and student (nearly a 4.0 grade-point average and a 30 on the ACT) from Bennington was living out a lifelong dream.
But things have changed since coming to college.
With a pair of 2007 national champions — NCAA 125-pound titlist Paul Donahoe and junior-college champ Kenny Jordan at 133 — Pokorny is now having to be patient for the first time since losing 14 matches his freshman year of high school.
“It’s a learning process,” he said with a chuckle. “Every single day, I come in here and get my head beat into the mat enough times by Paul and Kenny that I learn something new every day.
“I’m learning how to defend against guys who can take down any guy in the nation. I don’t know how it couldn’t help you. It’s giving me a harder head, that’s for sure.”
Nebraska coach Mark Manning sees it a little differently.
“He’s realized that he’s not the king of the hill right now and he’s got to wait his time and get better,” Manning said. “That’s part of growing up, and Andy has certainly matured this year.”
Some of that may be from learning patience. That is something Pokorny knows he can control.
The things he cannot control, however, are a little more of a concern.
“I passed out in practice two or three times (in November), and it kind of freaked the trainers out,” Pokorny said. “It all went black.
“When I woke up, all I could think was, ‘Not this again.’”
The Pokorny family knew that Andy had lower-than-normal blood pressure and that he sometimes would faint because of the condition. This situation, though, seemed different.
“At home, he’d black out a time or two getting up too quick from lying on the couch,” said Alan Pokorny, Andy’s father.
It happened once at a junior meet in Colorado.
“He was in a big overtime match and went hard,” Alan said. “He hit his head and got a bloody nose. They stopped it and he stood up (quickly) and he passed out right then. They took him in and (doctors) decided he went so hard that he passed out.”
The third time Andy collapsed in the Husker practice room, the NU training staff wasn’t about to take any chances and made certain the 18-year-old was seen by a cardiologist.
There was no definite diagnosis of the problem, so the doctor decided it would be wise to surgically implant an electronic heart monitor.
Pokorny was held out of practices for about eight weeks, but was monitored during his conditioning workouts.
He was cleared to return to the Huskers in late December, still with no definitive word about what caused the collapses.
“We don’t know if it was something to do with mistakes as far as cutting weight or a virus or … heart problems,” Andy said. “They have their suspicions, but . …”
In early January, Pokorny made his college debut at the Dana Tournament and finished the season with a 9-1 junior-varsity record.
He continues to practice with the Huskers, still wearing a thick pad and yards of tape to hold the monitor in place.
The doctors want Pokorny to keep the monitor for another year, but he’s hopeful that it can be removed in time for national freestyle and Greco-Roman tournaments this spring.
“It’s difficult to go out there and feel that I’m in shape because the pad and tape around (the monitor) compresses your ribs and makes it hard to breathe,” Pokorny said. “Plus, a lot of the holds, there’s a really good chance something bad — like broken ribs — could happen, and you run the risk of serious injury because sometimes you can break a rib and not even know it.
“I have a feeling that once I get it off, I’ll feel like Iron Man out there.”
Pokorny, however, won’t be satisfied to stay away from wrestling, especially in heading to Omaha for this week’s state meet. There, he hopes to help his father, the head coach at Bennington, and some of his former teammates as they take their shots at championships.
“It’ll be fun to watch without having to be there every day in practice,” he said.
Again, Pokorny taps the monitor on his heart and smiles.
“That will be good.”
Reach Karl Vogel at 473-7432 or kvogel@journalstar.com.
He walked off the mat at the state meet - having won his last 105 matches and three straight state titles - and headed to Nebraska.
The 125-pound star athlete and student (nearly a 4.0 grade-point average and a 30 on the ACT) from Bennington was living out a lifelong dream.
But things have changed since coming to college.
With a pair of 2007 national champions — NCAA 125-pound titlist Paul Donahoe and junior-college champ Kenny Jordan at 133 — Pokorny is now having to be patient for the first time since losing 14 matches his freshman year of high school.
“It’s a learning process,” he said with a chuckle. “Every single day, I come in here and get my head beat into the mat enough times by Paul and Kenny that I learn something new every day.
“I’m learning how to defend against guys who can take down any guy in the nation. I don’t know how it couldn’t help you. It’s giving me a harder head, that’s for sure.”
Nebraska coach Mark Manning sees it a little differently.
“He’s realized that he’s not the king of the hill right now and he’s got to wait his time and get better,” Manning said. “That’s part of growing up, and Andy has certainly matured this year.”
Some of that may be from learning patience. That is something Pokorny knows he can control.
The things he cannot control, however, are a little more of a concern.
“I passed out in practice two or three times (in November), and it kind of freaked the trainers out,” Pokorny said. “It all went black.
“When I woke up, all I could think was, ‘Not this again.’”
The Pokorny family knew that Andy had lower-than-normal blood pressure and that he sometimes would faint because of the condition. This situation, though, seemed different.
“At home, he’d black out a time or two getting up too quick from lying on the couch,” said Alan Pokorny, Andy’s father.
It happened once at a junior meet in Colorado.
“He was in a big overtime match and went hard,” Alan said. “He hit his head and got a bloody nose. They stopped it and he stood up (quickly) and he passed out right then. They took him in and (doctors) decided he went so hard that he passed out.”
The third time Andy collapsed in the Husker practice room, the NU training staff wasn’t about to take any chances and made certain the 18-year-old was seen by a cardiologist.
There was no definite diagnosis of the problem, so the doctor decided it would be wise to surgically implant an electronic heart monitor.
Pokorny was held out of practices for about eight weeks, but was monitored during his conditioning workouts.
He was cleared to return to the Huskers in late December, still with no definitive word about what caused the collapses.
“We don’t know if it was something to do with mistakes as far as cutting weight or a virus or … heart problems,” Andy said. “They have their suspicions, but . …”
In early January, Pokorny made his college debut at the Dana Tournament and finished the season with a 9-1 junior-varsity record.
He continues to practice with the Huskers, still wearing a thick pad and yards of tape to hold the monitor in place.
The doctors want Pokorny to keep the monitor for another year, but he’s hopeful that it can be removed in time for national freestyle and Greco-Roman tournaments this spring.
“It’s difficult to go out there and feel that I’m in shape because the pad and tape around (the monitor) compresses your ribs and makes it hard to breathe,” Pokorny said. “Plus, a lot of the holds, there’s a really good chance something bad — like broken ribs — could happen, and you run the risk of serious injury because sometimes you can break a rib and not even know it.
“I have a feeling that once I get it off, I’ll feel like Iron Man out there.”
Pokorny, however, won’t be satisfied to stay away from wrestling, especially in heading to Omaha for this week’s state meet. There, he hopes to help his father, the head coach at Bennington, and some of his former teammates as they take their shots at championships.
“It’ll be fun to watch without having to be there every day in practice,” he said.
Again, Pokorny taps the monitor on his heart and smiles.
“That will be good.”
Reach Karl Vogel at 473-7432 or kvogel@journalstar.com.
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