Timber Creek's Amir Reason-Dallas makes mark on mat

Timber Creek’s Amir Reason-Dallas makes mark on mat

Posted by author February 19, 2025 Football

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GLOUCESTER TWP. – Amir Reason-Dallas resembles a heat-seeking missile when tracking down opposing ball carriers on the football field.

The Timber Creek High School senior has brought that same fire, aggressiveness and fearlessness to the wrestling mat where he has found a great deal of success in a short period of time.

Despite getting a late start in the sport, Reason-Dallas enters this weekend’s district tournament as the top-ranked wrestler at 190 pounds in South Jersey by The Mat Pack. The Chargers will wrestle at District 31 at Eastern on Saturday.

“I just want to dominate and be the best,” Reason-Dallas said. “I love to compete in anything I do, whether it’s on the football field, wrestling mat or volleyball court, I love it all.”

In just three seasons, Reason-Dallas has certainly made his mark on the mat, accumulating 82 career victories with a district title and a third-place finish at regions. This winter, he’s 30-1 with 25 consecutive wins. His only loss came in December’s Overbrook Holiday Tournament to Burlington Township’s Jacob Davis.

“He’s a true throwback. He’s an old-school guy in a new-school age,” Timber Creek head coach Dave Ritz said. “He’s mentally tough, aggressive and not afraid of anything.

“It’s surprising to see someone with that little experience have that much success, but once you get to know Amir, it’s not surprising. His intangibles are off the chart. They can’t be measured, but they can be seen at all times.”

It’s hard not for eyes to be drawn to Reason-Dallas on the gridiron. Wherever the football is, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound linebacker will surely be in the vicinity.

Last season, he racked up 159 tackles in 10 games, tied with Ramapo’s Zak Darwish for most in the Garden State (Reason-Dallas played two fewer games). He also had four sacks and 22 tackles for loss en route to All-South Jersey and All-State second team honors.

Whether it’s tackling an opposing ball carrier in football or taking down his opponent on the mat, the two go hand-in-hand according to Reason-Dallas.

“It really is similar,” he said. “But in football, he’s running around trying to get away. In wrestling, he’s right there. It’s one on one. I like that.”

Ritz added, “He shoots a lot of double legs which is similar to football tackles. He’s absolutely fearless. When it comes to the biggest matches against the better competition, that gives him an edge because he doesn’t care who it is. He respects everyone, but fears no one. … That’s something we didn’t have to teach him, that’s Amir.”

When Reason-Dallas was a freshman, Timber Creek assistant coach Joe DiMartino tried to recruit him for wrestling. While his sales pitch didn’t work that year, Reason-Dallas came out the following winter.

“This guy right here told me to come out and wrestle, he told me that I was going to be great at it,” said Reason-Dallas, pointing at DiMartino.

In his first season on the mat, Reason-Dallas racked up 21 wins with a second-place finish at districts as a sophomore. His win total bumped up to 31 last season with a district title, a third-place finish at regionals and his first trip to Atlantic City for the state tournament.

Ritz believes Reason-Dallas can make some serious noise over the next three weeks.

“Most guys at this time of the year are plateauing,” Ritz said. “Amir is getting better every day. He’s still learning. He’s going to be better this weekend than he was last weekend.”

Ritz said Reason-Dallas’ work ethic was never in question, but said there’s a difference when a new athlete walks into the wrestling room for the first time.

“When he first started, he would get tired and think that was it,” the coach said. “What we taught him is that (wrestlers) have more to give after they get tired. He realizes there isn’t a ceiling for work ethic anymore.”

Reason-Dallas, a straight-A student according to his coach, still calls football his passion and hopes to play the sport and study business in college. He said that wrestling still remains an option, too.

However, there’s still plenty of work ahead in the next couple of weeks, and he’s already in attack-mode.

“I’m excited,” Reason-Dallas said. “Everything I’ve been training for all season is coming up, so I’m happy for that.”

Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 35 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him by email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.