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What a
Difference
Ten Pounds Makes
 I just
marvel at Nathanael's attitude. No other athlete,
from any team, starts each match with a grin like his!
I imagine it's downright unnerving to his opponents.
He is like a cat that is just waiting for the mouse to
twitch and then he attacks with a vicious joy.
Last year Nathanael was in the 135
lb. weight class and occasionally "wrestled up" at
140. This season he is locked into the 145 lb.
class and has sometimes been asked to wrestle up to 152,
which accounts for two of his early losses. His
record for December was 12-3
―
and eleven of those twelve victories were by pin! In
his three losses he has not been pinned.
Most of Nate's pins have been with
very good fundamental technique, as in the top three
photos on the right. And he's also thrown in his
cradle move that he mastered last season.
In the
bottom photo he was clearly dominating his Tahoma
opponent in the third period but did not quite get the
pin or make up the deficit he had allowed in periods one
and two.
In the middle photo he's pinning
an incredibly well-muscled opponent from Darrington.
Nate had lost his second match and had to work his way
up through the losers bracket in the As Iron
Sharpens Iron Tournament to qualify for this
match for 3rd place. It was his fourth match of the day.
He reasoned that this Darrington Hercules had also lost
one match so he must be strong but less talented a
wrestler. Nate wrestled him very carefully for
three minutes. But then Mr. Muscles began to tire
(he should have run Cross Country) and Nate made quick
work of him.
The annual trip to Coulee Dam to
wrestle in the Powerhouse tournament on the 27th
was canceled at the last minute due to hazardous winter
travel conditions over the passes. I had hoped to
ride with the team but Nancy insisted on going too.
I'm glad I had put off booking a motel room.
BCS is already 7-2 in duals with
wins over Shelton, South Whidbey, Lakewood, Wilson,
Lincoln, Nooksack Valley and Meridian and losses to
Kentridge and Tahoma. The season covers just
December and January, with the district, regional, and
state championships on consecutive weekends in February.
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