Pop Quiz

Today’s special guest is Drew McCraw, an all-Southwest District lineman for the Carroll County football team and the No. 2-ranked heavyweight wrestler in Group AA, behind Andrew Miller of Bassett. McCraw is a senior and is drawing serious recruiting interest in both sports. Though he is open to playing either sport in college, his main focus right now is of course wrestling and the upcoming district, region and state tournaments.

McCraw is expecting a couple more meetings with Miller in their four-year rivalry and is looking for his first win against the reigning state champion. McCraw has been within a couple of points in each match against the Virginia Tech signee, including a 3-2 loss last weekend.

The Gazette: At what age did you start wrestling?

Drew McCraw: I was five years old.

Gazette: Talk about your rivalry with Miller.

McCraw: It’s been going on since about ninth grade. Every time we’ve wrestled it’s been real close. Recently it’s grown even larger because all of my friends know about it and aggravate me about it all the time, and it’s gotten to me here lately.

Gazette: You recently won your 100th career match. What did that mean to you?

McCraw: It was okay. I’d rather have a state title than 100 wins.

Gazette: How many of those would you trade to beat Miller in the region finals.

McCraw: All of them.

Gazette: Do you have a nickname?

McCraw: Not really, everybody just calls me Drew.

Gazette: What would people be surprised to learn about you?

McCraw: A lot of people think I eat a whole lot because I’m big, but I really don’t.

Gazette: Name an activity that thinks it’s a sport but isn’t.

McCraw: Cheerleading.

Gazette: Name a sport you’re not involved with, but wish you were.

McCraw: I’d have to say lacrosse, or hockey.

Gazette: What is your favorite meal?

McCraw: My favorite meal is breakfast. Biscuit and gravy, bacon, sausage, eggs, ham, pancakes, all of it.

Gazette: Any certain place, or you mom’s cooking?

McCraw: Mom’s cooking.

Gazette: Do you have any superstitions when you’re playing football or wrestling?

McCraw: I’ve developed one over the past year or so. I always wear the same socks when I wrestle. Blake [Bowman, 130-pounder] and I wear the same socks until we lose a match. If we lose a match we change.

Gazette: Do you wash them?

McCraw: Yeah, we wash them. We don’t go with them dirty.

Gazette: ________ makes me really nervous.

McCraw: Wrestling in a big match. Getting prepared for a big match.

Gazette: Who do you enjoy playing against the most?

McCraw: Football, either William Byrd or Bassett, because they were always a tough team and it was always something neat to beat them.

Gazette: Who do you enjoy playing against the least?

McCraw: Grundy, because you have to travel so far.

Gazette: What’s your favorite non-sports activity?

McCraw: Laying around, hanging out with my friends and family.

Gazette: Your dad [Robbie] was a heck of a wrestler. Him in his prime, you in your prime. Who wins?

McCraw: Me. Better shape, better technique.

Gazette: I do a great impersonation of ________.

McCraw: I don’t really do impersonations. I remember movie lines.

Gazette: Okay, your favorite movie line.

McCraw: From Fight Club – “The first rule about Fight Club is, you don’t talk about Fight Club.”

Gazette: What Southwest District school has the worst-smelling locker room?

McCraw: I don’t know. All the guys’ locker rooms smell pretty bad. They’re all pretty rank.

Gazette: What is your favorite book.

McCraw: I like to read the newspaper a lot, that and the Bible.

Gazette: What is your favorite subject in school?

McCraw: History.

Gazette: And your least favorite?

McCraw: English.

Gazette: Your favorite sport to watch is…

McCraw: College football.

Gazette: Pizza or fast food?

McCraw: Fast food.

Gazette: What’s the one TV show you can’t miss?

McCraw: I don’t watch a lot of TV because we’re never at home. We’re always traveling.

Gazette: ________ needs to shut up.

McCraw: Friends hassling me about Miller.

Gazette: You’re being looked at in both sports by several schools. What’s the recruiting process been like?

McCraw: It’s been alright. I’m getting more interest in football than in wrestling right now. Hopefully that will change in about three weeks [after the state wrestling tournament]. Shenandoah has been really interested in me for football, and they have a really good physical therapy program. That’s what I plan on majoring in.

Gazette: And finally, boxers or briefs?

McCraw: Briefs.