My son's Wrestling season...

[bushido_man96]

We are back from the Heartland Middle School National Duals, and it was quite a fun weekend, and Kenneth acquitted himself quite well, and I'm very proud of his performance.

We started out getting to Topeka, getting our gear, figuring out the logistics of the weekend, and then also learning that he was 4 lbs overweight. He needed to weigh 220, and he was 224. The frustrating part of this was that for most of the middle school season he wasn't even scratching 220. The saving grace was weigh-ins weren't until we got to Council Bluffs, about 3 hours later, and after using the restroom and doing a touch of extra running, he was able to make weight. This was a good thing, because although we had a contingency of wrestling 275 because we had that roster spot open, it would not have been a good experience. He would have been a terrible underweight heavyweight.

That was all on Friday, and Saturday we started wrestling. Day 1 was pool wrestling.

The first dual on Saturday was against a team from North Dakota. The 220 weight class was open, so Kenneth got a win by forfeit. Kind of a let down, but things got better for sure. The team won the dual, 38-34, and Kenneth filling that 220 weight class was a big help to the win, and that forfeit equaled 6 team points.

The next dual was against a team from Utah. And this team was good. Kenneth faced an actual opponent in this one. In the first period Kenneth was able to secure a body lock and a takedown, but he wasn't able to get the kid turned for back points. Next period Kenneth had choice and he took neutral. He got into some weird positions but got out of them, and tried to get to a headlock, but it wasn't there and he wisely moved to something else. He did get double overhooks and got a takedown that way; the opponent got up and escaped and the period ended. Opponent started period three in neutral as well, and the opponent secured a takedown, but Kenneth was up and escaped real quick. Kenneth countered with a decent double leg takedown to get two more points and rode out the match from there. A win, 9-3. Unfortunately, the team took the loss of the dual, 81-9.

Dual three on the day was against an Iowa team, and the kid he wrestled was good. The kid came in with trying to get overhooks, Kenneth backed out, and the kid basically grabbed him by his head and threw him to the ground, and from there turned and pinned him in the first period for his first loss of the day. The team lost the dual 82-6.

Dual 4 was against a team from South Dakota. He came out in the first period with double underhooks and a throw. He was kind of high, and the kid tried to sweep Kenneth, and he almost got him, but Kenneth reversed the momentum somehow and got a takedown with a nice throw like a lateral drop. He moved on his feet really well to get behind and stay behind the opponent's hips, but no back points. Period 2 was Kenneth's choice and he took neutral. Kenneth had an under and overhook and was trying to throw again, but the opponent reversed it with a headlock throw that put Kenneth on his back. He based out, got up and escaped and a takedown, but was out of bounds. Reset to bottom, and he started to standup and got a reversal. Once on top, Kenneth was hacking the arm hard, which I wanted him to do, but still had trouble getting him turned. Period three the opponent took bottom, and Kenneth spent the remained of the period riding out on top, but no turns. Kenneth got the win, 4-2, but the team took another loss, 87-3.

That was the end of day 1, and Kenneth finished the day 4-1 overall, but 3-1 against actual opponents, which was a great day. The team finished 4th out of 5 in the pool, which put them in the Gold Bracket for the Saturday.

First match on Saturday was against a team from Wyoming. Kenneth was moving well against a pretty athletic 220 pounder, but he got swept for a takedown, and then while he was trying to stand up, the opponent put him in a standing cradle, threw him to his back, and pinned him in the first period, taking the loss. It was a pretty hard slam, and Kenneth was a bit sore from that one. Team lost the dual, 69-12. In the process, one of their teammates got his shoulder or arm injured, which took him out of the rest of the tournament, which left another open weight for the team.

Second round, the team faced off against a team from Kentucky. They were open at 220, so Kenneth got a win via forfeit. The team lost though, 66-28.

Last dual of the tournament, in the 7th place match, they faced another opponent from Wyoming. Kenneth almost got taken down, but the opponent didn't ever get control and Kenneth scrambled to his feet, negating any points. The opponent then came in high, allowing Kenneth to set up a headlock. He did a great headlock throw, using his feet to help with the sweep, and Kenneth took him to his back, worked down, and got the win with a pin. Unfortunately for the team, another teammate was sick prior to this dual, leaving yet another open weight class and free points for the other team. They lost the dual, 56-31. A few more wrestlers could have helped that score out quite a bit.

And that finished out the tournament. Kenneth's overall record for the weekend was 5-2, and against actual opponents he was 3-2. He scored 24 points for his team, and he was the highest points earner for the team, earning him Most Valuable Wrestler for the team.

I honestly could not be more proud of Kenneth and how he worked this weekend. I knew coming into this that it would be very tough, and we be seeing some of the best kids from across the nation. Kenneth fought hard and got some wins and was very happy with his weekend. It was a great culmination to a great season. He met some new friends and learned a few things.

[sensei8]

Way to address the weight issue; glad Kenneth meet weight.

What an exciting and amazing weekend all around. I really enjoy your updates and sharing Kenneth's wrestling with us. He's well rounded on and off the mat with a great head on his shoulders.

Ending with overall 5-2 and 3-2 against actual opponents is something that Kenneth and you all can be proud of. Congrats Kenneth on having the highest points and earning Most Valuable Wrestler for the team. OUTSTANDING, KENNETH!!

What's up for Kenneth next??

GO KENNETH!!

[bushido_man96]

Next, he's talking about signing up for the Greco/Freestyle club that is supposed to go through the summer. Greco would be really great for him, as he is already doing a lot of upper body takedowns and throws. It's sounding like a few of his buddies are going to sign up, too, so hopefully we can make all of that work. We have track and baseball practice happening right now, so if he adds wrestling back into the mix, he'll be a buys young man!

[sensei8]

Kenneth will do excellent in the Greco/Freestyle for the reasons you noted. Seems his, and the family's plate is quite full with all that he's involved in. He's got my support and vote of confidence,

GO KENNETH!!