"That was for you baby!"

I am someone who tries to not to look back at high school that much. Not because I hated the experience, but because I don't think I have many interesting stories from high school.

Whether or not every high school graduate enjoyed their last four years of K-12 education, they still had a moment or two where they did something and everyone responded with a "Oh my god, I can not believe he did that."

For me that moment came in sophomore year on the last wrestling match of the regular season against North Central (NC).

With only one-year wrestling experience, I was put on the JV squad, which was being generous in my opinion.  My wrestling abilities were mediocre.  Wrestling at 119 (yes I used to be that skinny) at the JV level came at a disadvantage because many of the other schools didn't have many 119 guys at my level, so going into the last match, I had a season record of 1 win and 5 losses.

Despite these factors, I came into my match a little mentally prepared.  One thing our coach M. Miethe told us, was NC was notorious for a maneuver called the stall ride, which is where they would lay flat on their back, hoping their opponent up top would fumble and make a mistake, then counter on that mistake and get the pin, or at least escape from the ground.

I also came into this with a boost in confidence, because the JV cheer leading squad, had made signs for each of the wrestlers.  My sign came from my friend Kristine Leffler (now Leffler-Steele).

It was a cheap paper sign with "Good Luck Allen" written in purple and yellow markers, with hand-drawn stars along the edges.

My opponent going into the match was Shawn Wright and within the opening seconds of the match, I took him down and scored two points.  As I was keeping control of the top, Wright reverted to the Stall ride while I slid back and forth and keeping him on the mat. The second and third rounds consisted of me keeping Wright on the mat, with the exception of the closing seconds of the second round when his left elbow met my right eye, and in the third round, where he was able to escape for six seconds, only for me to take him down once again. Without thinking, I pointed to Leffler and shouted," That was for you baby!"

The reaction from both sides of the mat, including the audience was a mixture of astonishment and hilarity. Part of me hoped Leffler wasn't too embarrassed, but a part of me felt proud.

The next two weeks were filled jokes about "Stover having cheerleaders going in and out of his room" and "That was for you!" by my friends and teammates...

Off the top of your head:  What were some your moments where you threw caution to the wind? Was it in high school, or college?