A New Beginning

The Match

Shania felt a wave of excitement surge over her as she sat in the bleachers with her friends, waiting for the state wrestling match to start. "I'm so happy our team made it to state!" she exclaimed, her green eyes shining with excitement.

"I know," Savanna agreed. "If we win, it'll be two years in a row for us!" She popped a handful of popcorn in her mouth that she had bought from the concession stands.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Trip wins the state championship again," Amy added, taking a drink of pop.

"Yeah, no kidding," Abigail agreed. "He nearly killed everyone in his weight class last year." She ran her fingers through her strawberry-blonde hair.

"I hope Shane does well," Shania anticipated.

"Oh, I'm sure he will," Savanna replied confidently. "That kid's won like every single wrestling match he's competed in."

Shania's mind wandered back over the last few months. Shane had joined the wrestling team in November, and in spite of his smaller stature, he was quite strong. As with any sport, he had the determination and perseverance to keep going, even when he was physically exhausted and mentally drained.

All that perseverance had paid off, however, when Shane learned that he was among the select few of his team who had the opportunity to go to state. All the bruises and injuries were worth it, in his eyes. Shane loved the competitive nature of sports, and winning was one of the highlights that made him feel special.

Just then, it was announced that the wrestling match would now begin. Shania watched intently every time Shane came out onto the mat. Time and time again, he won every round. Shania thought it was amazing how much strength he had inside his slender body.

"Are you sure he's not on steroids or something?" Abigail asked with mockery in her voice.

"Oh, shut up," Shania chided, giving her friend a playful nudge on the shoulder. "Shane wouldn't do that."

"Oh, you never know," Abigail eyed her cousin out on the wrestling mat with suspicion.

As more wrestlers were cut from the competition, Shane managed to hang in there. Trip, of course, was the only one left in his weight class, which made him a winner. However, there was one more opponent in Shane's weight class whom he had to beat in order to win a state championship.

"All right," a voice announced. "The last two contestants remaining of the 130 pound division are...Jared Halterback and Shane Peterson."

Shania watched as Shane led the way out onto the mat, followed by a blond guy with a buzz cut. He was a few inches shorter than Shane, but he was more heavily built. He had an unpleasant smirk on his face; to Shania, he seemed like one of those people who would cheat in order to win.

The match between Jared and Shane began. It was a very intense round; for each point Shane scored, Jared matched him. Shania could see that Shane was getting tired; he was breathing hard and sweat was dripping down his face. However, he worked harder than ever, almost pinning Jared to the mat. Just in the nick of time, Jared escaped and grabbed Shane by the shoulders, throwing him to the ground.

The referee blew his whistle, signaling that the time was up. "Shane and Jared are tied," the announcer stated. Shania knew what that meant; they would have to do a tiebreaker round. She watched Shane wipe the sweat from his forehead. He looks exhausted, she thought to herself. He and his opponent got into the starting position, waiting for the signal.

"Go!" the referee called. Shane grabbed Jared from under the legs, knocking him down to the ground. With all his strength, he pushed his opponent's shoulders towards the floor in an effort to pin him.