by
CJ Malinowski
(See videos below)
You
could see the pride in the faces of Matt’s and Becky Cross’s face as they
walked beside the mat on which their son, Matt, was about to compete.
Their
smiles, the strides in their steps; every move conveyed to the crowd at the
University of Maryland's Cole Field House, their love for their son.
Yet
their son, Matt Cross, the 152-pound Class 4A-3A state finalist from Bel Air
High, had a different expression on his face.
He
seemed a little nervous; maybe a little excited. But one thing was for
sure: Matt Cross's face turned to one of stone once he stepped on the mat
for his dance with destiny, an eventual Class 4A-3A state championship
victory over Sherwood of Montgomery County's Steven Gamble, a returning
two-time state runner-up.
Pacing
along the mat, with a stoic expression, Matt Cross was more like a caged tiger
walking back and forth.
On
the whistle, Cross, who was fourth at states last year, got down to business.
Shot
after shot, he and Gamble fought each other off until Cross cut through
Gamble’s defense with a quick, double-leg shot.
Cross
led, 2-0.
“We
have watched [Gamble] a couple times,” Bel Air head coach Craig Reddish
admitted. “He is a real solid wrestler; he is shifty and puts some
spladles in, and we talked about Matt getting flat on his shots and kind of
just finishing and getting two and two.”
Gamble
quickly answered back on bottom in the second period with an escape to close
the gap to one, but Cross was just one step ahead with a sweep single for the
4-1 lead which would end up the final.
Though
no scoring occurred in the third period, Cross found himself in a predicament.
Gamble nearly cradled him.
“The
whole last period was like cradle, cradle, cradle,” Reddish exclaimed.
“You’re up 4-1 and you don’t want to wait around, and Matt isn’t a staller kind
of guy, but when you are up 4-1 in states you have to be a little crafty.”
Both
Cross and Reddish agree they felt the match was in the bag by the third period.
“I
have only been turned on my back one time this year,” said Cross, who has lost
a decision to Rising Sun's three-time state champ, Matt Jackson. “I am really
flexible and I think that makes it hard for guys to turn me.”
Reddish
added, “Maybe he has been turned a couple times in 170 matches.”
For
those who know Reddish’s corner antics, they know he leaves his chair only in
the more intense moments of only the more important matches. Needless to
say, Reddish spent more than a portion of the third period out of his chair.
“Extend,
Matt, Extend,” Reddish shouted as Cross was fighting off Gamble’s attempts at a
cradle. “No cradle, no cradle.”
“This
is my first time getting someone in the state finals since it has come to
College Park, so it is a little bit of a bigger deal seeing that there is a lot
of people here. I have been really involved with all my kids, but seems
like with Matt, with the home-schooling, I have really done a lot with him
outside of wrestling," Reddish said.
"Driving
him everywhere, taking him places, and he works for me, and we have really gotten
to be very close," Reddish said. "I am just so happy because he
deserved it. It just testifies how good he really is, and I think he has
flown under the radar in the state of Maryland for a long, long time, and he is
a legit, solid Maryland wrestler.”
But it wasn’t only his corner that was celebrating; the
usually mild mannered Cross was seen with both his arms in the air, signaling
he was number one, with the classic, wide Cross smile.
“This
feels amazing,” Cross said shortly after his victory. “It is like a huge
weight taken off my shoulders. I was like, ‘oh my god, just hold this
cradle off and I will win this.’”
Cross
generally wrestled well throughout the tournament, using his methodical style
to work for two falls on Friday.
Up
till the semifinals, Cross had only wrestled a combined 4:14, averaging about
one period per bout. His first win was a fall in 2:57 over Milford Mill’s
senior Brandon Ragin prior to decking senior Bereket Kebede of Montgomery Blair
in 1:17.
Cross, who has 28 pins, handled Glen Burnie’s Zach
Jankiewicz, 6-2, in his semifinal.
