On Jan. 30, NDCL Lions wrestlers hosted the Chagrin Falls Tigers and Eastlake North Rangers for the Lace Up 4 Miracle League event.
On Jan. 30, NDCL Lions wrestlers hosted the Chagrin Falls Tigers and Eastlake North Rangers for the Lace Up 4 Miracle League event.
The tri-match raised money for the Miracle League of Lake County, a baseball league for individuals with developmental and physical disabilities.
Coming in, anticipation was high for Lions’ wrestling fans, as senior Tucker Pason was only two wins away from obtaining his 100th career victory.
Although the Lions lost their first match to the Rangers, 55-18, Pason claimed his 99th win.
Then, the Lions defeated the Tigers, 48-4, and Pason recorded his 100th career victory — only the 4th NDCL wrestler in school history to obtain this accomplishment.
Pason’s milestone victory was the culmination of years of hard work and dedication to the sport of wrestling.
In fact, he began learning to wrestle in the Chardon Youth Wrestling program when he was just four years old. Then, in middle school, he wrestled for the Chardon Hilltoppers.
“Once high school came around, I switched over to NDCL,” Pason said. “Freshman year went pretty good, and sophomore and junior year (went good, too. The first three years) were all just growth, growth every single year building my offense, building that same skill set, really perfecting it.
“I had that huge opportunity to get to 100 wins tonight. I knew I had two matches coming into it, so (I was) really looking forward to it, really was going to be confident about it, and just wanted to give it my all for that chance to get to 100.”
In the first match against his Ranger opponent, Pason in fact felt confident, utilizing his offensive skills to take charge.
The main moves he used were the fireman and knee dump.
Then, in the second period, Pason said he was able to utilize his half nelson, which led to pinning his opponent.
“I was able to work in a half,” Pason said. “And once I get a good half in, it’s hard to get out.”
With the pin, Pason obtained his 99th career victory. Between matches, he stayed focused on the things he could control to adequately prepare.
“Walked into that (next) match feeling like it’s me versus the other guy,” Pason said. “I respect the other guy for coming out there (and) wrestling me. No matter what happens, happens. I was going to give it my all.”
In the second match, against his opponent from Chagrin Falls, Pason said he used his fireman move and focused on scoring points during the first period from the top position. He also used low single and tilt moves, and said he ended the match using his stack move.
After obtaining his 100th career victory, Pason expressed his emotions about this great achievement.
“I was excited,” he said. “It’s a huge accomplishment. I was happy to have my team around me, my family around me, and even previous coaches. They were all there to support me, and they saw me throughout the journey.”
Pason added said his next senior-year goal will be to qualify for the state tournament and, once there, reach the podium.
