On the chilly morning of Dec. 19, the PCM varsity grapplers boarded the bus and headed to the North Polk Invitational. With only eight Mustang wrestlers attending the meet, a team win was not on the minds of the coaches. Everyone was looking to step on the podium. That goal was reached, as seven of the eight wrestlers competing earned placings. PCM finished fifth out of nine teams, scoring 113 points.
Freshman Chance Palm won the fifth-place match by a pin in 1:30 at the 120-pound weight class. Junior James Maggard got fourth, losing by decision, 4-3, in the third-place 160-pound matchup. Lightweight junior Jakeb Fenton won his third-place match when he pinned his opponent in 45 seconds.
PCM has special white singlets for wrestlers in the finals Four wrestlers were able to wear white, as they competed in the finals match for the championship in their weight class. Only one prevailed in taking the top of the podium, though. Xavier Miller, 145-pound junior lost his championship match in a decision, 6-2. Freshmen Lucas Roland and Jarron Trausch also fell to their adversaries in their winning matches, both taking second. Each losing in decision, Roland fell short with a score of 7-2, while Trausch lost 10-6.
PCM’s only champion was freshman Wes Cummings. He commented on taking the top of the podium in the 152-pound weight class, “It felt really good, but winning that one tournament makes me hungrier for more, and I won’t be able to do that without my teammates and practice partners. They are the reason I am where I’m at.”
Next for the Mustangs will be a dual tournament in Solon on Jan. 2. Come out and support your wrestlers as their lineup continues to grow.
Cummings said, “We plan to get better by working even harder in the room and focusing on our goals a lot more. We are for sure putting a lot of time and effort, and we all need to keep pushing each other as partners.”