Pinning for Points

Flyer Wrestling faces off against Snow Canyon High School in the 2010-2011 season. | Photo Credit: Shaun Smith, The Dixie Blog

Pinning for Points
by Mack Peterson
Sports Writer, Flyer Flash


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Wrestling is a sport that requires an incredible amount of dedication and determination to excel at all levels. The workouts and training become the lives of the Dixie wrestlers from the moment tryouts begin and when the season ends in middle of February. Everyone is on their game at all practices and the strive for dominance in region will carry our team far.

December 1st is the magic day for all wrestlers. It marks the first match up of the year against Hurricane High School. "We've lost some key kids this year, but with the way our practices have been going the past couple weeks our team should be competitive", said veteran, senior wrestler Justin Crapo.

Dixie is known for their speed on the mat and knowledge of their opponents. Having a strategy against the individual opponent gives Dixie an upper hand on what moves to exercise and what moves to avoid.

There is a multitude of moves in Dixie's inventory that could solely make the difference in a win or loss in a match game. Everything is planned ahead of time so there is no room for mistake. Some possible moves and holds would include the duck under, fireman's carry, baby cradle, half nelson, and head lock. Each move is different and typically each wrestler will specialize in one move, perfecting it to be unstoppable.

Winning a match can be confusing for some spectators. Pinning the opponent is the ultimate win, but if nobody is pinned a point system is used for scoring. Two points are awarded for taking control behind the knee bound opponent. One point is given to the wrestler that breaks free of their opponents grip, so strategies take place where Dixie will take control and then quickly let go to obtain one point.

For each weight class a win gives points to the overall team, which then adds up to determine a win or loss. 

Hopefully this year our Dixie High School wrestling standards can compete with our past performances.