This kid.
That's what Kenzie says every time she refers to Ben. But really, this kid.
I didn't tell you this last post but Ben barely made it to state. Only 4 go to state from every regional bracket and Ben was #4. As someone said to me this last weekend, Ben makes every match exciting. This is true. It doesn't matter whether the kid is good or bad every match is definitely exciting and every competition takes about 10 years off of my life. So yes, as is his style, he just barely made it.
When I saw his bracket and saw that he was seeded against the #2 ranked wrestler I knew he would lose his first match and was pretty sure he would go two and out since he is only a sophomore and it was his first time at state. I was so certain that he would go two and out that Brad and I considered not attending because going to the tournament required us to move patients to cancel work days, travel 13 hours round trip and spend lots of money on hotels and non-refundable tournament tickets. I was discussing this with a friend of mine about whether or not I should attend and she asked me a simple question, "If Ben wins, will you regret not attending?" Of course the answer was yes and so Brad and I made the arrangements needed to support our son at his first state wrestling tournament.
We arrived at the Pepsi Center after a long 7 hour drive and waited about 2 hours for Ben's first match. The match started out better than expected. At the end of the first period the score was only 4-0. His opponent got a takedown and 2 back points. Ben hadn't gotten pinned or teched in the first period and not only that he was wrestling really well.
The match continued and his opponent scored in the second period with a quick reversal (2 points) and only another 3 back points after wrestling on top almost the entire 2 minutes. 9-0. The 3rd period started and Ben chose neutral. His opponent looked really tired and there were a few shots that he took and Ben took that I thought Ben might get the takedown and actually score.
Finally, his opponent did score another takedown and won the match 11-0 but I was elated. Ben didn't get pinned, he didn't get teched (in wrestling when your opponent is ahead by 15 points the match is called and it is a tech fall) and he actually hung in there and made his opponent tired. Just to give you an idea about how good this wrestler was he ended up taking 3rd in state and teched every other kid he that he beat. Ben's first match alone was worth coming up to see him wrestle and I hoped, while he lost, gave Ben the confidence he needed to know that he belonged at the state tournament.
His next match was the following day against a senior. I knew Ben had a chance at winning this one but also knew the match could go either way. The senior was pretty big and Ben, at 160 was still sitting underweight in his class, being underweight puts the smaller wrestler at a disadvantage.
The match began and the first period ended at 0-0. The second period started with Ben's opponent choosing top. Ben got a reversal and 2 back points taking the score to 4-0 but put himself in an awkward position and the kid ended up getting a reversal. The end of the 2nd period the score was 4-2.
The 3rd period started and the coach told Ben to choose anything but down, noting obviously by now what we all saw that this kid was good at riding on top. Ben thought he heard his coach say choose down and so he chose down. We were all shaking our heads. The third period was fought and Ben did not get a reversal but the kid did get another two back points taking the score to 4-4 and the match went into overtime.
The first overtime in wrestling is a one minute period and the wrestler that gets the first takedown wins. If there is no takedown they go into two more 30 second overtime periods. The overtime started and...
Ben made a beautiful shot and got the first takedown to win the match.
I was so excited! Ben won a match at state and was now in the remaining 12 wrestlers at state.
His third match happened later that evening.
The first period of his third match followed suit of his previous match ending 0-0.
The second period started with Ben choosing bottom but ended up with the same score as the first period 0-0. The third period started and his opponent got to choose how he wanted to start. He chose down and quickly got an escape bringing the score to 1-0 in favor of his opponent. With 40 seconds left Ben shot and got the takedown bringing the score to 1-2.
He continued to work his opponent and got another two back points, the score to 1-4.
The match ended shortly thereafter and Ben came out the victor.
We were all so excited for him as he headed into his third day at the tournament. Ben had made the top eight in the bracket and if he won one more match, would place at state.
His next match, however, was his final one.
It started the same as the others 0-0 after the first period. The kid was quick and strong but neither seemed to be making headway on the other one.
Second period started and his opponent got to choose his position first. He chose down and quickly escaped bringing the score to 0-1 in his favor. A ref made a quick decision giving the kid a takedown that I'm not sure was quite a takedown at the end of the 2nd period bringing the score to 0-3. The 3rd period started and they continued to spar.
With 1 minute left the kid got another takedown, this time a pretty valid one, bringing the score to 0-5 in his favor and Ben quickly escaped bringing the score to 1-5.
They both worked hard, Ben trying to score and the other kid trying to keep him from scoring and at one point ended in a stalemate like this.
Shortly after the stalemate the match ended and Ben was on the losing side this time, 1-5 in favor of his opponent. I was sad, but so proud of him and the way he wrestled. The first kid he lost to went on to take 3rd at the tournament, as I stated earlier, and the last kid he lost to went on to take 5th.
The fact is, his last match really could have gone either way, as could have all his other matches. Sometimes you are the one that pulls it out when the score is that tight and sometimes it is your opponent. Ben walked off the mat with his head held high knowing that he did all he could do, noting what he could improve on to prepare for this time next year.
That kid. Brad tells this story of Ben and Riley going on a back country ski trip with him up a couloir that climbs to 13,000 feet up 50+ degree inclines. To top this off, the weather was extremely bad that day and they found themselves in a blizzard.
Due to the whiteout/blizzard conditions and extreme skiing descent ahead of them, the boys wanted to transition to ski mode at the 3/4 mark and head down the mountain. While the boys got ready to ski down, Brad went up a bit to assess the remainder of the climb for safety. At this time, the weather cleared and so Brad pushed on not really expecting the boys to follow. Brad waited a moment to summit though, hoping to see the boys coming out from behind the rock where Ben and Riley were staging to finish the climb. Just when Brad was getting ready to give up, Ben appeared in the distance and slowly ascended to the top. (Riley lost a ski and had to slide back down to find it).
Please understand that at 13,000 feet climbing a near vertical ice/snow face it is difficult to breathe, especially without your trusty partner, Riley by your side, and yet Ben pushed on . It was a very dramatic moment when the two of them, Brad and Ben, peaked the couloir together.
This is how Ben approaches life. He approaches things in a very analytic and thoughtful manner which may seem like a slow start, but he is steady, he is consistent and he gets it done. I've seen it time and time again and I definitely saw it this weekend. Yes, he didn't place, but he placed top eight and he is coming, he is coming. Thank you to all who have helped him get there
(and I recognize there are many). I can't wait to see what the next two years hold for him.
