NEWTON, N.C — What does it mean to be the best athlete?
Talent is a significant factor in the process of becoming great, but the drive and perseverance of whatever chips may fall is what separates those who have ‘it’ and those who don’t.
Fred T. Foard graduate Landon Foor demonstrated what it means to have ‘the sauce’ these last four years as a focal part of the Tigers’ wrestling program.
Foor climbed to the mountaintop time and time again becoming a four-time North Carolina High School Athletic Association 2A Individual State Champion.
Along this journey to the highest peak, there were some obstacles to overcome, primarily injury. As with almost any athlete’s career, it isn’t about avoiding injury; it’s about how one can overcome such an obstacle.
Foor, amazingly enough, has competed through several types of injuries over the course of his high school career including a broken ankle during his junior campaign, as well as most recently an arthroscopic hip replacement aka FAI (Femoral-Acetabular Impingement) surgery during his senior year in 2021.
He said that every match had been sort of difficult since he suffered the ankle injury in 2020. He said he competed at one point with the flu his sophomore year, and he also said that his freshman season was a challenging time, as well, especially since he competed in States at the 170 pound weight class.
During his time with the Foard wrestling team, he competed in the 170, 182, 195 and even sometimes bumped up to 220 pound weight classes.
Tigers’ longtime head coach Mike Carey described Foor as the most talented wrestler he’s coached over his 20 plus year career and said his versatility is what made him stand apart.
Through all of this, he still became the Tigers’ all-time winningest wrestler with 181 career victories (181-2), along with having the best career winning percentage in program history with a 98.9 mark (2017-21).
Foor said it’s a great feeling to go down as one of the best all-time in Foard history but also in North Carolina History.
Following his victory over First Flight High’s Milosz Gargol via pinfall in the 2021 NCHSAA 2A State Championship match in the 182 pound class on June 26, he became only the second individual in state history to win four consecutive titles. He finished the season at 23-0. His first state title came at 170, and his next three championships came at the 182 pound class.
He also ended his prep career without a single loss via pinfall, and he completed a 160 match win streak with his last loss dating back to Dec. 28, 2017 against Rock Hill’s Brandon Mills. His only other loss came against Alexander Central’s Ethan Lewis via an 8-4 decision on Nov. 16, 2017 (his fourth career match).
“It’s a surreal and kind (of) sad feeling,” said Foor about the end of his high school journey. “It’s all over; (it was) definitely the funnest part of my life so far and probably will be the most fun ever. I want (to) say thanks to all my coaches and teammates at Foard for their continuous desire to evolve and grow as individuals and a program as we all reached great goals together.”
His time as a Tiger is over, but his time as a wrestler is not. Having committed to Appalachian State in Nov. 2020, he decommitted earlier this year primarily due to the toll the sport took on his body.
Nevertheless, Foor recently announced that his recruitment is open once again, and he has a few programs in mind already including: Montreat College (NC), Coker University (SC), The Citadel (SC), Queens University of Charlotte, Wheeling University (WV), Chadron State College (NE), Presbyterian College (SC), University of Chattanooga (TN), and even possibly App State.
