You have to feel for a kid like Alex Spooner.
As a defending state champ, the Forest City senior has been ranked No. 1 all season.
You don’t see a kid any happier than he was last year when he won his state title and punctuated it with a backflip and a leap into his dad’s arms.
You don’t see a kid any more down than when his prep career ends due to injury like it did for Spooner on Saturday.
As a 112-pounder, Spooner is cat quick with the smarts to go with it.
There are never locks in wrestling, but if healthy, Spooner would have been an overwhelming favorite to win his second state title.
It’s a shame he doesn’t get that chance.
Saturday couldn’t have been much worse for the Indians.
Coach Murray Anderson looked like he had just gone 12 rounds with Mike Tyson when the day was over.
Forest City was a team with a lot of promise but even more injuries.
Three ranked wrestlers didn’t make it out of sectionals Saturday for the Indians. Injuries played a factor in all three cases.
“We’ve got three kids staying home that are good enough to move on,” Anderson said. “They just got hurt.”
That’s the thing about wrestling. It’s a violent sport.
At this time of the year, it may not matter how good you are, but how healthy you are instead.
Takedowns
• Every year there are freshmen in the area wh0 burst onto the scene.
The best in this area may be Charles City’s Jesse Etherington.
The 125-pounder walked through his bracket Saturday and is now 27-6.
You can tell the kid knows his way around the mat.
“He’s tough, and he keeps getting better,” Charles City coach Dave Williams said. “He does everything we ask of him. He’s going to be a good one.”
• If Clear Lake and Osage each win their first dual Tuesday night in Osage, they will meet for a spot in the Class 2A state duals.
The two haven’t wrestled a dual this year.
“We could be looking at another Osage-Clear Lake showdown,” Osage coach Brent Jennings said. “Of course, the other teams might have something to say about that. But it would be a good one.”
• Speaking of rivalries, the Clear Lake-Charles City rivalry seems to be picking up some steam, doesn’t it?
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Spooner's career ends wrong way
