sports@southwesttimes.com
RADFORD – Despite a rough showing last week, not even a few bloody noses could stop the PCHS Cougar wrestling team from having a tremendous performance on the mat Tuesday, as the team won two of their three matches at Radford High School’s auxiliary gymnasium.
The Cougars were victorious over both Patrick County and Lebanon High Schools. Pulaski defeated Lebanon, 58-24, in their opening contest of the night. They would close the night out with a 45-18 win over Patrick County.
During their meeting with Lebanon, four Cougars would pick up pin victories – Jacob Howard, Matt Morris, Trevor Southard, and Cameron Fitzwater. The Cougars would also receive three forfeits from Lebanon.
Four would also be the number of pins that the Cougars picked up against Patrick County, as Trevor Hess, Michael Howard, Tommy Wojcik, and Ethan Caldwell all would pick up pinfalls.
The team was coming off of a four match week, including a tough 52-9 loss against Salem at home and a six place performance at the Johnny Price Memorial Tournament at Franklin County. Coach Daniel Butler has seen a lot of changes in his team from last week’s rough performances to Tuesday’s impressive outing.
“They showed a lot more heart than they have shown over the last couple of events that we’ve had,” Butler said. “All the way down the line, I had kids who wanted to win rather than get through it. Wrestling is all about trying to win and not trying to get through it. If you try to win, you are probably going to win. You are definitely going to get through it, win or lose. So why go out and just try to get through it? They stepped up wrestling.”
Pulaski would lose one of their three matches to Radford on the night, 49-27, despite not having three key wrestlers due to injury. Still, three wrestlers picked up pin victories, including David Shelley, Corey Hale, and Fitzwater.
“We lost to Radford, but we’ve got three guys banged up in our lineup,” Butler said. “We might have been a little closer to Radford if we had them, but we’ll never know. That’s just the way it went down tonight. Radford was the better team.”
After the meet, Butler talked about which wrestlers on his team have been impressing him the most.
“I continue to be impressed with the newer guys, like our 112-pounder, Corey Smith,” Butler said. “This is his first year wrestling. He goes out there with more heart than anyone else on the teams who have been wrestling 10 to 12 years. You can’t coach heart. It’s something that just comes.”
The team now sets their sites to one of the biggest wrestling tournaments in Southwest Virginia, as they travel to William Byrd High School for the annual “Big Orange” Tournament. Pulaski will compete against teams from around the area for honors. Butler stressed the importance of Tuesday’s match heading into the “Big Orange”.
“It’s important mentally,” Butler said. “Some of those guys who are banged up and didn’t wrestle today now have something to look forward to and wrestling at Big Orange. They are hungry to wrestle. That is what I was hearing on the sidelines. That’s what they need to have all season. If it comes towards the end of the season, that’s fine. As long as it comes.”
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