2022 February 19, Saturday
Don Collins
Charlie Powers, senior at Blair High School, finished 2022, as a wrestler in the 160-pound weight class, at 50-4. After Saturday’s victory at the 2022 NSAA wrestling championship, make that 51-4. The outgoing senior beat Jett Samuelson, of Hastings, in overtime, with mere seconds to go, for a final score of 5-3.
The score was 1-2 after the first round. At the end of round two the score was tied at 2-2. After the third, it was still tied at 3-3.
In the waning moments of the first overtime, Charlie summoned the strength to take his opponent to the mat, was awarded two points, and in a thriller, beat the previously-undefeated Samuelson – an opponent who beat Charlie twice before.
Charlie Powers’ performance today put an emphatic, down-to-the-wire, exclamation point on a fantastic career for the Blair Bears. Surely, this victory will attract the attention of colleges around the country.
