by Kinsey Phipps

On the night of Jan. 8, the weather outside was cold, icy and windy. However, inside the PCM gym, the heat was turning up. As the Mustang varsity wrestlers prepared for the double dual against CMB and Pleasantville, they were also preparing to pull out a win. The Mustangs definitely succeeded, when they won both meets. The final score for the PCM and CMB meet was 39-39. Because of the final score being a tie, the winner came down to the seventh criteria, which was most first points scored during the meet. PCM pulled ahead in the category, with 14 first points scored and CMB having seven. The final score of the Pleasantville meet was 42-39 in the Mustangs’ favor.
Sophomore Xavier Miller came out on top in the fall category when he pinned his opponent in 53 seconds. Senior Ron Marshall was close behind, as he pinned his adversary in 57 seconds. One wrestler truly stood out during this meet, though. As they started at the 106 pound category, senior Trent Malone knew he would be the last match of the CMB meet, as he was the heavyweight on the team, wrestling the 285 pound category. What Malone did not know, however, is that him winning or losing would determine the fate of the team’s victory. Once it came time for Malone to wrestle, the team score was 39-36 in the Raiders’ favor. He needed to win by at least a decision, then the two teams would tie. The first period was even, and no points were scored. The second period was when Malone’s opponent got an escape and made the score 1-0 with the Raiders winning. The third period was looking somber as nothing was happening, and Malone was on the bottom. With about one to two seconds left in the match, Malone pulled out a reversal, making the final score of the match 2-1. This made the overall score of the meet 39-39, with the Mustangs pulling out a win. In the end, PCM had two forfeits, four falls and one decision in their favor.
“When I won the match, I felt like I was on top of the world. It was amazing. It wasn’t just my effort, though; it was a team effort. Without my team and coaches behind me, I couldn’t have won that,” Malone said.
A few people stood out at the Pleasantville meet as well. Marshall pinned his opponent in 29 seconds. senior Tristan Clark also pinned his adversary in 1:36. The meet ended with two forfeits and five falls in PCM’s favor.
“I expected both meets to be very close. A match here or there would have decided both of them,” Head Coach Cory Waddell said. “I was impressed with [sophomore] Lane Raske, who wasn’t even varsity until an hour before the meet. He came out and got a big win against CMB. [Freshman] Luke Kramer keeping his match to regular decision when a major decision was only one point away was also big for us. [Sophomore] Leevi Telfer’s win against Pleasantville was a huge lift to the team as well.”