We just got to the school after a long drive. Feeling tired, wishing I was back home sleeping. I’m feeling scared, and nervous. Looking up at the bracket, seeing who I have to wrestling. Feeling butterflies in my stomach. Trying to eat, but too nervous. Then I hear my name called, time to get warmed up.

Standing on the edge of the mat looking at him. Listening to my coach for advice, thinking to myself don’t lose, don’t lose. I went up and checked in, then when to my corner to pray about this win. We come to the center of the mat, and shake hands. Thinking in my head what moves to run. We began wrestling, he’s up by two. I set him up for a perfect ankle pick, scored tied now. It’s the end of the period and I go to get up and he pushes me. The ref didn’t say anything, so I shook it off.

We start to second period and the ref calls neutral, and I go to get up and he pushes me again. I told him, “Yo push me again and I’m beating your ass.” The ref calls me for cursing, and I hear my coach telling me to calm down before we get kicked out. We start wrestling again and shoot a single, I’m up by 2. I try to go for the pin, by stacking him but he escaped. I got to get up and once again he pushed me, so I got up and hit him in his nose. The ref jumped in and somehow the kid tackled me and hit me in my jaw. I got up and just started going in on him. My coach came in and had to come get me, and that’s when I heard the ref say that I was DQ. At first I was devastated my season was over. I wanted to make it to states so bad this year.  I was mad at first but then I realized that I stood up for myself. I went home and that was the end, I started working hard and I’m ready for next year.