Broken wrist delays dream for wrestler

MANAWA - Garret Griffin is a conference champion wrestler, but his season ended before having a chance to make it to state. His season is over, and his right arm is recovering.

The Manawa High School junior was leading by a point in the 152-pound Central Wisconsin Conference championship match. He got his hand caught in his opponent’s singlet, giving his opponent a tying point. The ref blew his whistle, signaling a stoppage in the match; but Griffin’s opponent threw him after the whistle. Griffin’s hand landed awkwardly, and he broke his wrist.

“All I could think of when I hit the mat was, ‘what's the score, did he get a takedown?’” said Griffin.  “I'm looking at coach, my hand's up, when I look at him I can't see my hand, I can only see my wrist, then emotion comes over."

Griffin stresses it was not a dirty play by his opponent, but a desperate one. The late throw gave Griffin the go-ahead point to win the match, but he needed surgery to insert a steel plate and six screws to fix the damage.

"Your first reaction is, 'ugh, this didn't happen, it didn't happen, it didn't happen,” said Manawa wrestling coach Scott Hahn. “Then all of a sudden you look, you look at Garrett's eyes, his family's, his teammates and the other coaches, you really feel for him. You really feel for him."

Griffin made sure to encourage his teammates who still had to wrestle, to try and keep them focused. The emotion of seeing his season end, a possible run to state canceled, arrived at the hospital.

"It hit me once I got in the ER, I was just like, ‘I've got to cry this one out, guys,’” said Griffin. “I just kind of broke down for a while. After that, I told myself I have to just worry about tomorrow, all I can worry about is what's ahead of me."

Griffin’s coach says he’s received an outpouring of support from the Manawa community, and people throughout the area in the wrestling community. Many have been impressed with the way Griffin handled himself after losing his shot to make a postseason run.

“State is the ultimate goal, you always have the dream of your son winning state, running over, the whole jumping in your arms kind of thing,” said Mary Griffin, Garret’s mother. “I was more proud of him when he was laying on the mat asking to shake the other coach's hand and the other kids hand, saying I've never left the mat without doing that, and I'm not going to start today."