Taking It to the Mat by Jake Maddox

Author:Jake Maddox [Maddox, Jake]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: athletes; chapter books; character education; Jake Maddox; Maddox; Matt Christopher; realistic fiction; SEL; sports; sports stories; Wrestling; books for boys; teamwork; bullying; sports fiction
Publisher: Capstone
Published: 2021-04-12T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 7

AWAY MATCH

Three weeks had passed since Lance Corporal Beckett had come to practice to talk about the Tri-County Veterans’ Memorial Tournament. Since then, the Pioneers had been practicing and training for their first meet of the season against the North Valley Lions. This would be Aarash’s first official bout as a wrestler.

Aarash was excited, eager, and a bit nervous to go up against his North Valley opponent. He fiddled with the tie on his hooded sweatshirt as he looked out the window of the team bus.

He wished Anton was with him today to help calm his nerves. But Anton had been sidelined because of an injury playing basketball with friends the weekend before.

Too bad, Aarash thought. The team could have really used him today. And I could have used the support.

Luckily, Shane didn’t seem too interested in Aarash—for once. He sat at the back of the bus and kept to himself.

Maybe he has the pre-match butterflies too, Aarash thought.

“Hey, Ray.” One of his teammates tried to get Aarash’s attention. “Ray?”

Aarash turned to face Jack. Since Lance Corporal Beckett’s visit, some of the guys had taken to calling Aarash “Ray,” a loose translation of his Pashto name.

Aarash didn’t mind the nickname—it was cool. It made him feel like part of the team.

Besides, he thought, it sure beats “A-Rash.”

“You weigh yourself this morning?” Jack asked.

Aarash nodded. The officials would weigh all the wrestlers before the competition began. They would be divided into groups and matched with opponents based on their weights. But Aarash had wanted to have some idea where he’d be grouped.

“I was around one twenty-seven or one twenty-eight,” he answered.

“I weighed in at one thirty-nine,” Jack responded. “I hope my bathroom scale is right.”

“We’ll find out in a bit,” answered Aarash as the bus pulled into the North Valley High School parking area.

From the outside, North Valley High looked brand new. But once Aarash entered the gym, the newness of the school disappeared. Everything seemed standard. Even the locker room had the same aroma of sweat and chemicals that Aarash was now familiar with.

There were around forty spectators sitting in the bleachers—mostly parents, siblings, and friends. Aarash was excited to see his uncle, aunt, and Ferhana waving at him from their seats. There was also a surprise—Anton was with them. He gave Aarash a thumbs-up.

Looks like I’ll have plenty of support after all, Aarash thought, waving back.

The teams gathered for the official weigh-in before the matches began. To Aarash’s surprise, he came in at one twenty-five, placing him in the one-twenty-six weight class.

I need to get a better scale for the house, Aarash thought to himself.

Once the weigh-in was finished, the Pioneers grouped together on one side of the gym. The Lions were on the opposite side. The teams were separated by a black mat with inner and outer circles both outlined in red. That was where the competing wrestlers would face each other.

The gym buzzed with excitement. Aarash could hear chatter from every direction. That came to an end as soon as the announcer called for everyone’s attention.

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