(Cushing) – It was getting late in the dual, and Cushing needed points to overtake Tuttle and win a third straight Dual State Championship. Cushing had dropped three of the first four matches, and trailed 27-4 before mounting a furious comeback. But the Tigers brought the deficit to within reach with star wrestler Jarrod Patterson coming to the mat. Patterson was well on his way to a victory, leading 17-7 in the match when he pinned Tuttle’s Seth Hutchinson with 13 seconds remaining. That brought the team score to 30-28, and Chris Smith delivered a 7-2 decision for the Tigers in the night’s final match for a 31-30 team score.
The 2009 Dual State crown gives the Tigers six titles in the last seven seasons and a third straight.
