Sam Sherlock could have been a participant in the USA Wrestling National Championships, which took place two weeks ago in Fargo, N.D., but instead, he chose a trip to Florida to compete in the Disney Duals.

"My dad said he couldn't afford both trips, so he gave me a choice," said Sherlock, who will begin his junior year at West Mifflin Area High School in a few weeks. "I went to Fargo last summer, so I picked the Disney Duals this summer."

After compiling an 11-2 record in the 125-pound weight class, Sherlock was pleased with his decision.

"I was there for a whole week," said Sherlock, referring to the tournament which took place June 22-27. "We had two matches each day, then had the rest of the day to ourselves. We got to visit Tampa Bay and the Disney theme parks. It was a lot more fun than going to Fargo."

One of his victories was against Ryen Nieman, a Michigan state champion.

"It was a folkstyle tournament and I wrestled for a team named Pennsylvania Premium Select," Sherlock said. "We finished seventh in the team standings. I prefer freestyle, but didn't do much over the summer, so I felt a little more comfortable wrestling folkstyle."

Sherlock was joined in Florida by West Mifflin teammate James Fleming.

"James also made the trip, but he wrestled for a different team," Sherlock said.

That was not the only trip Sherlock made this summer, however.

"I also attended a wrestling camp at the University of Oklahoma," he said of the trip, which took place the second week of July. "It's one of the best wrestling camps in the country. [Former Mount Pleasant wrestler] Rob Waller is an assistant coach at Oklahoma."

Sherlock decided not to cut weight for the camp, but was still one of the most impressive wrestlers in attendance.

"I competed at 138 pounds because I didn't want to cut weight," Sherlock said. "We had a dual tournament and an individual tournament. I went 10-0 for our dual team, and 5-0 in the individual tournament."

Sherlock's performance was so impressive that he has been moved up to No. 2 (at 130 pounds) in Intermat's rankings of the top sophomores in the country. The only wrestler in front of him is Chris Villalonga, a National Prep School champion from Blair Academy in New Jersey.

"I may get a chance to wrestle Villalonga at the Beast of the East Tournament in December," Sherlock said. "This will be our first appearance in the Beast of the East. I'm really looking forward to it."

Sherlock became a starter at West Mifflin in his freshman year. He placed second in Section 4-AAA and third in the WPIAL, thus earning a PIAA berth in the 125-pound weight class. He finished the season with a 36-6 record after posting a 1-2 mark at Hershey.

Last season, Sherlock moved into the spotlight by winning section and WPIAL titles, then placing fourth in the PIAA tournament while competing at 125 pounds. He finished with a 35-3 record, which gives him a 71-9 record going into his junior year.

"The one goal I haven't reached is winning a state [PIAA] title," he said. "I made it to the semifinals [in March], but lost, 1-0 in overtime, to [Red Lion's] Chris Albright. It was disappointing, but it's made me work that much harder this summer."

Sherlock also has impressive academic credentials. With a 3.8 grade point average and a 1550 SAT score, he will have his choice of colleges when he graduates in two years.

"I'm already talking to Oklahoma, Penn State and a couple Ivy League schools," said Sherlock, who wants to become a chiropractor or go into sports medicine. "My parents want me to stay close to home, but I'm not sure yet. Fortunately, I've got plenty of time to make a decision."

Sherlock plans to compete in the 130-pound weight class during his junior year at West Mifflin.

"I normally weigh in at 140, so dropping to 130 for the postseason tournaments will be no problem," he said.