Takedown by Rich Wallace Page B

to be.
    Donald swallowed hard. In a couple more minutes he’d be out there.
    It was time to find out what he was made of.

13
    Music
    D onald took a deep breath and shut his eyes. When he opened them, that Palisades wrestler was still staring him down from across the mat as they waited for the referee to call them out.
    Coach put a hand on Donald’s shoulder. “Ready?” he asked.
    “You know it.” He bounced up and down a few times, shaking out his wrists and knees.
    Donald glanced at the bleachers. There were a lot more spectators than last time; the place was more than half full. Manny and Anthony were seated in the top row. His father was about halfway up.
    The referee waved them onto the mat and made them shake hands. The guy’s grip was strong and dry, but he only held it for a fraction of a second. He never took his eyes off Donald’s.
    And though he was short with a stocky wrestler’s build, his style did not seem conventional at all. His stance was very low and somewhat off center, as if he was leaning to his left. And his feet kept moving side to side as he circled around Donald. He didn’t offer much of a target.
    Donald crouched lower, too, but after thirty seconds of moving around like that, his legs felt pretty darn tired. So he stood up straighter and darted to the side. And that’s when the guy attacked.
    Head down, he wrapped his arms around Donald’s legs and tried to lift them both. Donald reached down to grab his shoulders and twisted his own body, but the guy had a very strong grip. There was no place to go but down. Donald was behind, 2-0.
    No panic, Donald thought. You’ll figure this guy out.
    He got to his knees, but the guy had one arm around his waist and the other had a tight grip on his shoulder. It took him nearly a minute to wiggle out of the hold, getting to his feet and jumping free.
    The period was winding down, but Donald was not about to stand around and wait. The Palisades wrestler was finally standing straight, so Donald made the big penetrating step and shot in low, wrapping both hands around his opponent’s knee. He lifted and turned, bringing the guy down flat on the mat and coming up behind him.
    Instinctively Donald hooked his left arm under his opponent’s arm and reached up behind his head. He drove hard with his legs to turn the guy toward his back.
    “Half nelson!” shouted Tavo. “You got him.”
    Donald could tell that he had him now. He’d been on the wrong side of this move enough times to recognize when the outcome was certain. The Palisades wrestler was straining, pushing with everything he had, but Donald had a lock-tight grip and all of the momentum. He was slowly forcing the guy’s shoulders toward the mat.
    And within seconds Donald felt the momentum stop, felt the hard resistance of the mat pressing up against those shoulders. This guy was pinned.
    The referee slapped the mat.
    It was the best sound Donald had ever heard.
    He leaped to his feet and pumped his fist. He shook hands with the Palisades wrestler. The referee raised Donald’s arm as the victor.
    Coach got him in a quick headlock and said, “Beautiful job. You’re on your way, kid.”
    Tavo smacked his arm, and Freddy met Donald’s fist with his own. Donald pulled off his headgear and looked around the gym.
    Here came his dad, stepping down from the bleachers. He reached over and shook Donald’s hand. “Way to go, Darnald. That was fun.”
    “Sure was,” Donald said. “It’s great that you got here.”
    “It was worth the hassle.” Dad looked at his watch. “Wish I could stay for the rest, but I’m due back at work for a couple more hours.”
    “I know. I’ll see you tonight.”
    Donald walked to the locker room, way too excited to take a seat with the others yet. Incredibly, he had even more energy now than he’d had before the match.
    He bounced up and down in front of his locker, throwing out his fists like a boxer. What a difference a win made. He felt like he could