In an intense wrestling match, Lewis-Palmer High School prevailed over rival school, Palmer Ridge High School. The final score was 42-40 – a Ranger win. The final match was the last chance for Palmer Ridge to either tie the game or accept a defeat.

In the last match of the night, Patrick Haggard, 11, was the last competitor against the Palmer Ridge Bears. Haggard used all three periods to resist being pinned so that Lewis-Palmer could derive a win.

In wrestling, if a wrestler pins someone, he get six points for the team. He gets five points for a technical fall, otherwise stated as a fifteen-point lead.  When a wrestler wins a match by 8-14 points, a major decision is made on whether or not he will receive four points for his team. A normal decision is made when a wrestler wins a match by 8 points or less. This accredits three points to the team. Brogan Lewis, 12, is a first year wrestler for Lewis-Palmer and was extremely impressed with Haggard’s performance.

“This is a competitive sport and there is no room for weakness,” Lewis said. “Haggard is one of the more competitive people I know and his refusal to say ‘I quit’ was shown tonight.”

On the mat, every point given is for the wrestler himself. If the wrestler gets a takedown – a control position – the wrestler is granted two points. An escape – when a wrestler gets out of the less dominant position – is worth one point. A near fall or a near pin – when a wrestler holds their opponent’s shoulders within 4 inches of the match – ranges from two to three points. A pin is an automatic win. There are other ways to score points for himself but these are the main ones.

As Patrick fought back and forth with his opponent, the points just kept rising. The more they battled, the more emotional the audience got. With every point scored, there were screams of glee from the crowd. This not only impressed the parents, but other wrestlers as well.

“In my 4 years of wrestling, this is by far one of the most intense matches I have been apart of,” Lewis said. ”This sport weeds out the weak and puts those who are truly tough into the spotlight. Patrick definitely proved how tough he was, not only to himself but to everyone that witnessed the match.”

For the Lewis-Palmer Rangers this match is the most important of the year. Part of the tradition of the rivalry between these two wrestling teams is that they have a trophy. This trophy is a golden mop, and Lewis-Palmer has brought home the golden mop three years in row. Haggard lost by major decision; however, he kept fighting so that Lewis-Palmer could keep the golden mop.