Williams glad to be back

Bedford's Tanner Williams pins Somerset's Daniel Talley on Tuesday night.

   
Tanner Williams could not have dreamed up a better day.
   Chomping at the bit to wrestle in high school competition since early February, the Bedford senior went out in front of his home crowd and set the tone for the match with a pin, one of several in the Bisons' 62-15 rout of Laurel Highland Athletic Conference rival Somerset.

   In a fitting twist, it was Williams who got the chance to wrestle first, as the 152-pound weight class was drawn to begin the match. He could hardly keep his emotions in check leading up to the time he and his teammates took the mat, but once he stood on the starting line, it was back to business for Williams.

  "It feels amazing to be back," he said. "It was the greatest welcome I could have back, starting my team off with a pin. Being a leader and all, it was great to get my team off on a good note.

  "The whole day, I was so pumped up. At weigh-in's, I felt like I was freaking out, just saying 'Let's go, let's go.' When they pulled my number for the start, I was like 'Alright, this is what I'm talking about.'"

  "He was so excited all day long," added Bedford coach Brian Creps. "Today was like Christmas for him."

  Williams was enjoying a solid junior season when it came to a halt in the PIAA Class AA State Duals, where he suffered a broken hand. That relegated him to a role of cheerleader after he had posted a 23-7 record.

  Now healed up and coming off a strong cross country season, Williams appears primed to make a run at the regional and state tournaments to close his high school career.

  "My goal individually is to qualify for states, and maybe even place," he said. "For the team, we definitely want to go back to state duals."