The CGD Cowboys marched onto the mats with pride and determination Thursday night, ready for combat as the 2021/2022 wrestling season commenced.
COWBOYS VS CADETS The night was underway with the Iowa Falls Cadets facing the CGD Cowboys. Opening the first fight of the night was 170 lbs, JR Mack Seaba, as he invested the first win of the night to the Cowboys. After a hard-fought battle with an unfortunate loss for SO Mason Allen, SR Danny Chavez marched forward with a current 18-6 lead for the Cowboys. Chavez swept the floor as he pinned down another six points for the Cowboys. Though the Cadets gained a handful of victories, it was the Cowboys who ended the battle with a win, as the many points piled up from wrestlers such as, JR Ethan Traub, FR Caleb Seaba, and SR Garrett Seaba.
The Cowboys left the Cadets 0-1 to start off the night, as they rested with a 48-31 win and awaited their next meet versus the Hampton-Dumont Bulldogs.
CADETS VS BULLDOGS Final score: Bulldogs 48 – 33 Cadets
COWBOYS VS BULLDOGS You couldn’t have asked for a better fight between the Bulldogs and Cowboys, though it were the Bulldogs who ended the triangular 2-0. The Cowboys fought until the very end, nearly clinching their second triumph of the night, though the Bulldogs had other plans.
Unlike the first match against the Cadets, the Cowboys weren’t off to the best of starts, down five losses with four wins beginning with a hard-fought, long-lasting battle from JR Erick Perez, another pinning victory for Danny Chavez, a pin from Ethan Traub, and the fourth hard-fought win for Caleb Seaba. It was down to the wires as the night progressed. The Cowboys were down 27-21.
“Next up!” yelled the announcer, as JR Cale Kirstein stepped foot on the mat to meet his opponent. As he shook hands and looked into his opponent’s eyes, it was just the anticipation of the whistle blowing to start the fight. Then it blew. Kirstein jolted as the official battle for six points began. The fans roared for a crucial comeback, or a securing sack of six points as the fight progressed. However, it was Cale Kirstein who snatched the six points, leveling the score 27-27.
It felt like the Cowboys were chasing for a win rather than capturing it as they were down again 30-27. But the Bulldogs struggled to put them down, as Garrett Seaba delivered for his team and leveled the score yet again. As the next Seaba stepped on the mat, the Cowboys lost another close, hard-fought battle as the Bulldogs were up 33-30. Then it was all down to the wire once again. This time, unfortunately, the Cowboys didn’t prevail. The night ended in a 39-30 defeat for the Cowboys, although they surely made the Bulldogs earn the win.
“Excitement and confidence,” that’s how SR Danny Chavez describes his feelings of wrestling for the CGD Cowboys for one last time, also explaining, “Before I used to get super nervous and anxious before my matches and meets. Now knowing it’s my final season I want to remember it as a great one even with the accomplishments and failures that come along the way.”
Entering the season 1-1, the Cowboys seek success as they travel to Independence High School on Friday, December 3, where they will clash multiple teams in the Cliff Keen Invitational at 2:00 PM.
