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| Joey Prata collecting the hardware after winning the Big Horn tournament |
For a young man weighing only 93 pounds, Joey Prata
packs a lot of weight.
The eighth grade wrestler, representing the Virginia
Predators, has rightfully earned a name for himself on and off the mat. As a
wrestler, Prata has compiled a record of 87-2 (with 30 pins) this season. His
feats in the weight room have also drawn attention. In fact, a video of the
14-year old dead lifting 225 lbs. is currently making the rounds on YouTube and
Facebook.The sky looks to be the limit for the grappler from Yorktown.
With his middle school career reaching an end (his
last tournament will be in Fargo, ND in July), Prata is looking ahead to the
next step. Currently homeschooled, he will be attending York High next year.
According to Joey, the family has already met Coach Todd Parrish and he is
anxious to begin.
The start of high school competition should be a
relief for the Prata family. Practicing with the Predators requires a 140 mile
round trip to and from Chester, VA, a trek they make 4-5 times a week. But the
effort has been worth it. According to his father Tony, “Coach (Mark)
Strickland and his assistants have helped make Joey into a national champion.”
The first hurdle for his post-Predator career has
already been set. Prata aims to be a multiple state champion. But the lightest
competition weight at the high school level is 106 lbs. Even though 106 is the
maximum weight, there is still a disadvantage to giving away as many as 12
pounds to an opponent in a sport as balanced as wrestling.
Two years ago, the family realized that Joey’s
slight build might hinder his future wrestling career.
Enter D’Shawn Wright.
The trainer and owner of Body by D Gym in Yorktown
has earned a reputation based on the pursuit of excellence mindset he instills
in his students. With many of his high
school clients moving on to collegiate sports, the gym has become a focal point
for young athletes looking to gain the extra edge needed to earn an athletic
scholarship.
Father Tony, a Battalion Chief with the York County
Fire Department, found Body by D two years ago while searching for his own
workout spot.
Says mother Shannon, “We appreciated his (D’Shawn’s)
intensity. The motto is “the harder, the better.”
Joey, who started his training regimen weighing
about 75 pounds, didn’t take long to see the developing results.
“Everybody started noticing.” said Prata. “The
difference was unbelievable and it was quick…within a month.”
Over the first year, Prata says that he gained
“about 10 pounds.”
The improvement in strength and stamina has already
paid dividends on the mat.
One of Prata’s trademarks with the Predators has
been his ability to avenge a loss. Earlier in the season, he lost a 14-2
decision to a wrestler at the Super 32 match in North Carolina. Just six weeks
later, at the Virginia Challenge Holiday Duals, Prata turned the tables and
scored an 8-0 shutout over the same wrestler to win the championship.
His intensity is not limited to the field of play.
Prata is an honor student and currently takes advanced classes which will allow
him to begin his academic work at York with four high school credits. A college
career in wrestling awaits, possibly at Old Dominion or Virginia Tech, a school
where he could showcase his “math whiz” skills.
Prata prefers the freestyle and Greco-Roman forms of
wrestling. His favorite moves are the cradles, riding legs and sweep maneuvers.
Now in his sixth year of wrestling, and second with the Predators, he enjoys
the individual challenge of the sport. “I like that I get to compete against
somebody my own size, an even matchup.” He also likes the team aspect of the
sport, a by-product of his earlier athletic endeavors in soccer and lacrosse.
Is there anything else he enjoys about wrestling?
“After weigh-ins, we get to eat. I like the “food
buzz.”
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