Josh Anderson’s 59-match winning streak — and his wrestling season — came to an agonizing end Saturday.
In his only match of the day, against Heidelberg’s Cameron Clawson, the Patch High School junior suffered a dislocated left elbow that ended the match, the streak and the season.
“They operated on Monday and said all the tendons were ruptured,” Patch coach Danny Morrow said Tuesday. “Rehabilitation will take three months.”
The two-time European champion — whose high school record is 59-1 with 53 falls — was released from the hospital on Tuesday with his left arm in a cast.
The injury occurred when Anderson, trailing 8-5 in the third period, was trying to maintain control over Clawson when the two stood up, according to Anderson’s father, Ron.
“They were going back down to the mat,” Ron Anderson said. “Josh put his arm down to break his fall and it bent the wrong way.”
The elder Anderson said the angle of the dislocation made it impossible for his son to be moved right away.
“Josh’s arm was sticking straight out,” Anderson said. “He literally couldn’t fit onto the stretcher.”
Anderson said his son had to endure three hours of pain before medical help qualified to treat the injury arrived on the scene.
“The problem was there was no doctor present at the time the accident happened,” he said. “There had already been another injury, a broken leg, and the ambulance had taken that wrestler to the hospital. It took time for them to get back.”
When help arrived, Anderson said, his son was given painkillers and had his arm replaced in its socket well enough for him to be taken to the hospital.
Despite the projected rehabilitation period, extending into late April, Anderson said his son plans to play soccer for Patch this spring.
“He said you don’t use your arms much in soccer,” said Anderson, who said he worried his fiercely determined son might rush the rehab process.
“We told him we wanted him to rehabilitate at a healthy, sensible rate,” Anderson said, adding, “he’s determined to get healthy and wrestle again next year. He doesn’t want to end his career this way.”
