With the 2019-20 season now behind us, it's time to reflect on individual stories that wove together to form the fabric of the team. Continuing this series, let's look at some exceptional wrestlers on this team.
Bryce: Starting us off, we have Bryce, who's appearance is already impressive as he is a freshman. His second match of the season was against the reigning Far East Champ in the first round of the Yokota tournament, a tough draw in the unseeded format. He went on to beat the former champion 6-0 in a heated match that set the tone for the rest of the season. After tech-ing or pinning his way to the Far East Champ title to bookend the season, he finished with a 20-1 (.950) record, only beaten in a close decision match by an outstanding Olympic-track Japanese wrestler in the Beast of the East finals who tech-ed every other opponent (last year and this) easily. It's hard to demonstrate just how amazing Bryce was this season. He won the Yokota, CAJ, Kanto, and Far East tournaments! Being tied with the best dual meet record (7-0, with some matches being extremely important), he was also the team leader in 4-point takedowns and second in the team for the most pins. These stats show just how clean his wrestling was. He certainly blew our expectations out of the water and set a high bar for the future - he's a good one. Take Z: This year, Take had an amazing season. Not only his accolades, which include winning the CAJ, Yokota, and Kanto tournaments, were impressive. Take was a crucial piece of the team, winning his match against St. Mary's for 3rd at the team dual at Far East to go 3-1 against an old rival. He also tech-ed his opponent in our dual against Kinnick which allowed the team to become league champs for the first time since 2007, even though he was wrestling up a weight against the future Far East finalist at that weight. Another example of impressive wins would be him winning 13-11 in an exhibition match against the future Far East champ at a different weight, in his first match of the season. Just for good measure, Take wrestled another great match against a super tough Japanese wrestler which included overcoming the partisan refs, winning over the non-partisan crowd Rocky IV style, and a last second come-from-behind pin to win it. The fact that Take didn't lead the team in any of the statistical categories made it that much more impressive that he had the third best record on the team at 13-3 (.813). He pulled the team through when he was needed, he posterized an awesome opponent in the Kanto finals, and we can't wait to see what the future holds for this critical piece of team success. Liam: Last season was not easy on Liam, with him missing most of it overcoming an injury he sustained. This season was a complete 180 from where he was before. With a top five record, 19-5 (.792), he went from one varsity appearance last year to a 12-match winning streak to start out the season. He was impressive in many statistical categories this year, being tied for most 4-point takedowns and being top 5 in pins, takedowns, and total points scored. Liam was an incredible role model on the team, who's sportsmanship and leadership was top-notch. Maybe it was the fact that he's a Paul Anka look-a-like, or maybe it was the bond and connection he had built with every single member of the team. It all culminated in the epic last second win in his match against his opponent (who had beaten him earlier) in the dual for 3rd place against St. Mary's in the Far East dual meet tournament. If he hadn't won his extremely tight match (8-6), the team would've lost the final dual of the season. It was the first time the Mustangs had finished above them at Far East in ages. Dani: Wise men say, only fools rush in, but Dani can't help winning a match for you (...some people say he looks like Elvis). Here are some impressive facts to back up his great wrestling. He was the only wrestler in the whole team to have a full and perfect 5-0 (1.000) conference record. He led the team in dual meet team points scored. He only lost to two people all season. He had a top 5 record on the team. He was top 5 for pins on the team. He was the conference champ at 215. He was a Far East finalist. Last season Dani had a .556 winning percentage. This season, in addition to the above mentioned accomplishments, he beat tough kids who had beaten him last year and destroyed all new, up-and-coming challengers. He was a guaranteed dual meet win and the exclamation point to the dual meet victories against Kinnick (to lead us to become league champs) and both times against St. Mary's (to let us beat them at Far East). And that was how Dani "Jailhouse Rock-ed" the competition. Those were some of the wrestlers with incredible seasons. With these Mustangs coming back to lead their peers, we're looking for a repeat of their performances, or even better, to set the pace for an even more incredible season for the team.
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PhilSend me a note at [email protected] if you have ideas for a story or corrections/additions to these write-ups. Archives
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