CHANUTE — Months of grueling practices and endless conditioning came boiling down to 23 gut-wrenching seconds for TJ Taylor Saturday.
The Iola High wrestler was 23 seconds away from advancing to the Class 4A State Wrestling Tournament when a late takedown by Paola’s Ryan Pankov gave Taylor’s opponent two crucial points in their consolation semifinal round.
Taylor did all he could to escape Pankov’s grasp. Doing so would have given Taylor a point, as the two writhed around the perimeter of the mat.
