A forfeit to honor a fallen foe …
The Saturday before Christmas, Spencer (Iowa) High School 220-pound senior Austin Roberts collapsed during the finals of a tournament in his home gym, and died later that evening. At the first dual meet at the Spencer Field House since Roberts' death, Estherville-Lincoln Central wrestler Amed Castro-Chavez chose to accept a forfeit, rather than pick up a forfeit -- and six quick points for his team -- because the Spencer Tigers did not have a wrestler at that weight class. Instead of going to the mat to have his arm raised, Castro-Chavez walked over to the bleachers to hug Austin Roberts' mother, Lori Roberts.
"I wanted to show Austin's family respect, because they are grieving," Castro-Chavez told the Sioux City Journal. "I told Austin's mom that I wished I could wrestle Austin again, because he was such a good wrestler."
… and to help a rival achieve a milestone
Lucas Ortiz, a senior at Conestoga Valley High in Pennsylvania, was just one victory shy of the 100-win milestone. However, the Lock Haven University recruit had no hope of reaching that mark, being unable to wrestle this year because of a torn ACL and damaged meniscus in his knee.
However, thanks to a wrestler at Chambersburg High, Ortiz was awarded a forfeit victory, and that elusive century-mark victory.
At the Wilson Duals Tournament last weekend, the Chambersburg Trojans were aware of Ortiz's the situation. Senior Matt Strunk agreed to forfeit his match at 152 to Ortiz, which would provide him with that magic No. 100 win.
"Some of our guys know Lucas pretty well and said he's a really good guy, so we wanted to do something for him," Strunk told GameTimePA.com. "I told the guys that Colin (Runshaw) should go up to 160 and I'll give up the forfeit at 152. It wasn't a hard decision for me -- he's a senior and was stuck on 99 wins and it was the right thing to do."
Teen with muscle disorder achieves mat dream
Nick Haller, an honorary member of the South El Monte High School wrestling team, had his first opportunity to take to the mat at a tournament last week.
Haller suffers from arthrogryposis, a condition that affects the muscles in his lower body, which forces him to use a walker or wheelchair to get around. But that didn't stop him from wanting to wrestle. Thanks to his coaches and willing participants from rival Rosemead High School in California, Haller had that opportunity. He went up against Alex Masuda, Rosemead team captain.
"I got to know him a little bit and he [seems like] a really good guy," Masuda, 16, told ABC News. "Throughout his whole high school career he's always been wanting to have a wrestling match. His coach Ray Castellanos actually allowed him to have his first ever match and that's what you see in the video. I made him earn it. The result of the match was him pinning me and his dream coming true."
Ohio high school wrestler a winner without legs
Zion ShaverThe 88-pound wrestler -- who benches 225 pounds -- competes successfully within the normal wrestling rules. There's just one rule concession: Shaver always starts from the neutral position, thanks to a rule change from the OHSAA (Ohio High School Athletic Association) after the team wrote a letter to the organization.
"I've always wanted to do a sport, and I found one and it's awesome," Shaver told WOIO-TV in Cleveland. "There's some things I can't do, and I figured them out by trying them. You gotta try something, 'cause you never know what you can do unless you try."
Ex-wrestler with cerebral palsy gives back as ref
Joe Steffenhagen never let cerebral palsy -- a disease which impairs muscle control -- stop him from wrestling. Now the Minnesotan is giving back to the sport that he says gave so much to him, by now serving as a wrestling referee in the suburban Twin Cities.
"I'm always nervous because I want to do my best," Steffenhagen told CBS affiliate WCCO-TV. "I don't want someone to get cheated because I didn't see something."
Officiating is new to Joe, but wrestling isn't. His uncles introduced him to the sport when he was young, and he continued with wrestling through high school.
"I just love the competition. I love to win. I love the hustle. I just want to play my hardest all the time," he said.
Despite moving with a limp -- and having limited use of his right hand and arm -- Steffenhagen is learning the art of on-the-mat officiating, starting with junior varsity wrestlers now. His goal is to become a varsity official and someday qualify for the state tournament as a referee.
Want more upbeat stories from the mat? Check out the InterMat news story from November about Devon Berry, a multi-sport high school athlete in Georgia who, despite dealing with cerebral palsy, accepted a wrestling scholarship offered by St. Cloud State University, 2015 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships team titlewinner. And, take a look at a 2011 InterMat feature titled "Opportunity for All" about wrestlers who succeeded despite various challenges, including Anthony Robles, Nick Ackerman, Matt Hamill and Les Anderson.
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