The top two ranked teams in the state ended up meeting in the 3A championship – Minooka and Sandburg. Fittingly enough, it was tied 20-20 going into the last two weights. Minooka got the 23-20 edge, but it was still anyone’s game going into the last weight. A simple decision would tie it for Sandburg, and anything better would win it.

I can’t even imagine what was going through freshman Matt Meyer’s head when he took the mat – or when the referee raised his arm in the air as the winner – or when his team rushed around him and lifted him onto their shoulders.

The championship was the first ever for the school. It was the wrestling team’s fifth trip to the state finals.

Why? Because the visiting St. Anne team brought their mascot.

That’s right, a human sized cardinal. There to pump up the 12 St. Anne fans there to cheer on their team. Not only did he dance during timeouts, but he also took part in huddles.

It seemed that the players were a little confused about the directions, though. While down 17 points nearing the end of the first half, the players held the ball. Seems that when the coach told the mascot to “just stand there” that the players took it to heart.

Needless to say, a 17-point deficit leads to sad cardinals.

St. Anne only had 4 points at halftime. The final score was 47-19 Gardner. Which can mean only one thing. Happy Panthers.