By Trey Hunter
Sports Editor
OKLAHOMA CITY – Mitchell Lance wasn’t going out in defeat.
Even after losing in the State Tournament semifinals to the eventual state champion, the senior knew he had to reset mentally and change his goal.
“Whenever I lost, I was pretty upset,” Lance said. “But I knew I didn’t want to end my senior year with a loss. I knew I needed to battle back and get third.”
Lance, who has battled injuries throughout his career after qualifying for the State Tournament as a freshman, came back Saturday morning after a Friday night loss to Skiatook’s Josh Taylor and regained his composure. He set his mind on third place and followed suit.
A bounce back, first-period fall over Altus’ Jose Centeno in the second round of the consolation bracket sent Lance to the final match of the day where he capped his high school career with a 7-1 win over Glenpool’s Jace Ellis for third place.
I mean it’s cool and all,” Lance said after taking the medal stand with his fellow state placers at 126 pounds. “I fell short of what I wanted to accomplish, but I battled back and I got third. That’s where I had to put my mind and I got it done.”
Piedmont coach Erik Ford understands how impressive Lance’s run was and what it says about the senior middleweight.
“When you lose in the semis as a senior, it takes a lot of guts and mental toughness to be able to come back and make weight the next day and go out there and wrestle in a match you weren’t expecting to wrestle in,” Ford said. “And to go out and compete the way he did says a lot about who he is and his character. What he did today, if you know anything about the sport of wrestling, to battle back to get third that probably says more about him than any other way he could’ve finished.”
Lance said he was excited to get the tournament started Friday, but felt he wasn’t up to par against Taylor in the semifinals.
“First match I was ready to go, I was pumped,” he said. “Second match, I practiced to beat him all week long, but unfortunately I didn’t wrestle too great.”
The two-time state qualifier and one-time placer enjoyed his ride over the last four years and thinks as a team, the Wildcats have set a standard as far as program history.
“It’s been cool. I think we have the best team in Piedmont history, I don’t know I could be wrong,” Lance said. “We’ve had a good team all year and have won several tournaments. Then we made it to the Dual State finals for the first time and four guys in the finals tonight.
“As a whole that’s pretty solid.”
Lance finished the season with a 38-12 record, including a ninth-place finish at the Mid-America Nationals and a first-place run at the Class 5A West Regional Tournament.
