Oak Harbor wrestling coach George Bergman likes to see several qualities in his athletes, such as quickness, strength, toughness and dedication.

Perhaps what Bergman wants to see the most is an intangible that can't be coached – desire. Bergman wants wrestlers who step on the mat, look at their opponents and think, “You're not going to beat me today.”

One of Oak Harbor's wrestlers who clearly defines that quality is three-time state qualifier Konner Witt. Last year Witt came...this...close to winning a Division II state title at 152 pounds. Witt lost to three-time state champion Harrison Hightower of Hunting Valley University School, 5-2, in the championship match in Columbus.

“Konner is just tenacious,” Bergman said of his senior standout. “He's a good competitor who hates to lose. He hates to lose with a passion. He's just a tough kid, maybe because he has two older brothers who beat on him when he was younger.”

Those two brothers would be Kory, 25, and Keith, 21, who wrestles at Kent State. Keith, an NCAA Tournament qualifier for the Flashes last year, was a 171-pound state champ for Oak Harbor in 2008.

Konner Witt

Konner said he will try to make this year's state tournament at either 160 or 171 pounds. He has competed at 171 this season, but he will wrestle at 160 when the Rockets compete at the Medina Invitational on Dec. 28-29.

“The rest depends on how I do at 160 and how I feel at that weight,” said Witt, who weighs 185 pounds in the offseason. “I haven't gotten down to 160, so I don't know how I'm going to wrestle.”

Witt has already cemented his legacy at Oak Harbor. He was a state qualifier as a freshman, at 125, and as a sophomore at 140. He had a 48-4 record last year and has a career mark of 129-26. Witt, who captured Sandusky Bay Conference, sectional and district titles last year, is also the Rockets' career leader in technical falls.

On Dec. 10-11, at the Walsh Ironman tournament that draws the top prep teams from around the country, Witt became the fourth Oak Harbor wrestler to take second place at that tournament. He joined former Rockets state champions Tait Miller, Cody Magrum and Ian Miller, who was second last year and won the Ironman event this season.

Witt, 18, is still chasing the ghost of his brother, Keith, for that elusive state championship.

“I want to win one because he won a state title and I want to be better than him,” said Konner, who is 10-1 this season. “I got second place at Ironman, but he still says he's better than me. He wrote that on my Facebook page. But, he's not.

“The only thing he's better at than me is getting a state title. I've been better than him at every other tournament we've been in. I've won Medina and I got runner-up at Ironman. He never won Medina. I guess I have to win state this year to finish it. I'd like to win it for myself and this year's team.”

Witt admitted he got his hatred of losing from his older brothers.

“I don't like to lose to my brothers at anything,” said Witt, who played defensive end for the Rockets' football team last fall. “It just carries out to all sports, I guess.”

Even golf. Witt also has a friendly rivalry with his sister, Karanne, a junior golfer at Oak Harbor.

“I don't call it a rivalry,” Witt said, “but every time I go on the golf course I beat her. She probably doesn't like it, but it's just what happens when we golf.”

The loss to Hightower in last year's state finals has made Witt push himself even harder this season.

“I don't want to fail and lose my final match of the season and my final match in high school,” he said. “I know I'm better than I was last year.”

Witt, who has a 3.80 GPA, has been accepted to the Air Force Academy's prep school in Colorado Springs, Colo. He intends to major in management, and he wants to run his own business.

Right now, however, there is that little matter of getting back to Columbus and taking care of unfinished business.

“My main goal is to win state and improve on everything else I did last year,” Witt said. “I want to work harder than I did last year, and I've done that. I just want to get better in everything I do.”

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