Won... and Done!

Connor finished his youth league wrestling career with his personal best season, notching his first winning record in the CAWL and falling just one match short of placing at the MD-VA states. He won his first match at states, but then let a second-round defeat by the eventual 2nd place finisher destroy his confidence, putting him at a 5-0 deficit after the first period of his quarter-final match. He outwrestled his opponent in the last two periods, picking up 3 critical back points in the closing seconds of the gut-wrenching match, but still fell just short, losing 5-4.
We walked away a bit disappointed, trying to remind ourselves that he really did learn a lot this season and succeeded in elevating his wrestling to the elite level. The high school varsity coach gave him a pat on the back and told him he can't wait to get him on the team next year. After a ceremonial trash-can toss of Connor's much-maligned stinky kneepads (the whole team cheered), we headed where every wrestler heads when it's over: to get some food! (You often hear eliminated wrestlers, going out the door saying, "At least now I get to eat!")
Connor had been craving Chick Fil A for 4 weeks so we went to the mall where he downed a spicy chicken sandwhich and large fries in record time, and then ran into his baseball buds and coach who treated him to a long-promised milkshake. So good bye to the stinky knee pads and long winter Saturdays in the 85 lb. weight class and hello spring, metal cleats and diamond dreams!
Great job, Connor!
103 lbs. or bust!