HERSHEY — The concussion Joshua Yeboah-Gyasi sustained in the Southeast Regional final last week scrapped the Upper Darby wrestler’s bid to compete in the PIAA Class AAA Tournament.
Yeboah-Gyasi found the concussion protocol almost as demanding as the sport.
“It was really tough,’ Yeboah-Gyasi said Thursday. “With all the stuff they know about concussions these days they’re really strict about it. It was a dream of mine to be able to be able to come here and wrestle. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to realize that dream. But at least I can look forward to my future.’
Yeboah-Gyasi was concussed in the regional finals by Boyertown’s Jordan Wood, who entered the bout with the reputation as the top-ranked wrestler in the nation at 220 pounds.
Royals coach Bob Martin, like others who witnessed the event, was unhappy Wood wasn’t disqualified.
“But I’m more unhappy that our kid couldn’t wrestle,’ Martin said. “I don’t think it was done on purpose. It should have been called a slam.
It’s hard. Our kid’s a senior. And I really think he’s good enough that he could place up here. He’s a great kid.’
Yeboah-Gyasi made the trip here to support teammate Colin Cronin. Unable to wrestle, he scored the next best thing.
In the official PIAA program, at 220 pounds is the listing “Josh Yeboah-Gyasi 12, Upper Darby D1, 29-2.’ His opponent would have been Andrew Gunning of Liberty. Martin did what he could to see his guy in print.
“It would be a lot cooler to wrestle,’ Yeboah-Gyasi said. “But it’s one memento, it’s something somewhere that shows I was supposed to be here, that I earned my right to be here.
“It’s something really special to me because it shows how much (Martin) cares about the opportunities that I have. He’s a really good guy and I really appreciate it.’
Yeboah-Gyasi is through with high school wrestling, but not the sport. His next match will come when the 220-pounder decides on a college.
