The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG - Waitsburg High School wrestlers competed well in the Battle of the Blues at College Place High School on Saturday, January 13. Cardinal Koyen Fortune took home a second-place medal, and Graycen Teal placed 4th. Jarod Hankins also competed well at the event.

"For different players, it can be a game of technique, strength, or quickness," said coach Lash Larue. "It is definitely a game of manipulation," he added.

Wrestling is a fun sport to watch. There is action on two different mats, a lot of cheering from the crowd, and a lot of coaching from the coaches who are located at the corners of the mat.

One wrestler wears a green band on his ankle, and his opponent wears a red band. Both start in the neutral position, standing at the start of the match. There are three two-minute rounds where wrestlers try to pin their opponents for a win or score points using various moves.

If a wrestler is pinned, the match is over. If there is no pin, a wrestler can win by points. Wrestlers can score points by a takedown, an escape, reversal, or near fall. There are also penalty points.

After the first round, if there is no pin, the referee will flip a colored disk. Then, the wrestler wearing the color from the flip decides if he wants to start the round in a neutral position, a bottom control, or a top control position, or he can defer his choice to the third round.

As in any sport, there is a referee. The referee has a red armband on his left wrist and a green armband on his right wrist. He also has numerous signals that he uses during the match. The referee is so attuned to the wrestlers that an assistant watches the clock and taps the referee on the shoulder when the round ends.

The Cardinals competed in a league mixer at Northwest Christian on Thursday, January 11. Coach LaRue said all the boys did a great job, and he sees potential in each of them. He believes they each should be able to make a run for State.

The boys will next wrestle in a league mixer at Reardan on Thursday, January 18, starting at 5 p.m. Go watch them compete, you won't be disappointed. GO CARDINALS.