The Challenge By Jim Lake A 16-year-old girl offers to fight the school's entire wrestling team by herself. The challenge arrived in the form of a letter addressed to Ralph Morrison, wrestling coach, Belmont High School. Dear Coach: As a student at Belmont, I have been extremely disappointed in the performance of this year's team. I find a 2-5 record totally unacceptable. It is obvious that your team is weak and poorly coached. To prove your incompetence, I challenge your entire team to a match. I will take on your best wrestler in all 14 weight classes, starting with your 95-pounder and working up to super heavyweight. I will wrestle all 14 boys by myself with only a two-minute break between matches. If you do not agree to this match, my father will file a lawsuit against you, the athletic director, the principal and the superintendent of schools for sexual discrimination, based on the fact that you have never had a girl wrestler on your team, although several qualified ones have tried out. By the way, I'm a 16-year-old junior. Sincerely, Samantha Hawkins After reading the letter, Morrison was convinced it was a joke. But the threat of a lawsuit worried him. He knew the school principal, William Rodenberry, ran scared everytime anyone threatened to sue. Morrison took the letter to Bobby Simmons, Belmont's athletic director. "Ralph, I think we've got a problem," said Simmons. "You know I've always stood by you, through good seasons and bad. And I've been supportive when people criticized you. But I knew this day was coming. I've heard about you running off girls who tried out for the team." "None of them were tough enough," replied Morrison. "I'm not sure about that," said the athletic director. "Regardless, I think this girl has us over a barrel. If we go to court Ralph, we'll lose. Before it gets that far, I think Rodenberry would fire you." "Then what do we Bobby?" "You wrestle her. If you do, then she has no complaint. Just make sure your boys are as tough as you think they are. Because if one girl can beat your whole team by herself, you and me will be laughed out of town." Morrison wasn't sure what to do. When his wrestlers finished practice that afternoon, he asked if any of them knew Samantha Hawkins. Devin Smith, Morrison's 177-pounder, said he did. Morrison told Smith to stop by his office after the wrestler had showered and changed. "What's up coach?" Smith asked as he entered Morrison's small office, overcrowded with trophies, plaques and photos of his wrestlers compiled in his 22 years as coach at Belmont. "What do you know about this Hawkins girl?" he asked. "She transferred in this year from West Virginia. Cute girl, real smart, great soccer player," said Smith. "How good a soccer player?" "Well, last year the girls' team finished 1-9. This year they went 12-2, reached the third round of the state playoffs. Samantha was the whole team." Smith had gone to two of the games while they were dating in October. Hawkins scored five goals in a 7-1 win in the first one he attended. She scored two goals early in the other one and the coach immediately moved her from center forward to fullback to protect the lead. She switched to goalie for the final 15 minutes, making the 2-0 lead stand up with a couple of sensational saves. Smith didn't know what a leader Hawkins had become since the first day of practice. She convinced the other girls that they could win this year. When they beat a good team 4-1 in the opener her teammates started to believe. Hawkins could play any position on the field better than any girl in the league. "What do you think of this?" asked Morrison, handing his wrestler the letter from Hawkins. He expected Devin to laugh as he read, but he never even smiled. "I think she's serious coach," he said. "How can she be? This is the most preposterous proposal I have ever read." "She's one hell of an athlete coach, believe me." "OK. Thanks Devin," said Morrison, dismissing the senior who also starred at linebacker on Belmont's football team. Devin had dated Samantha for about three weeks. He thought she was great looking, loved her long brown hair, but found her too strong willed. And too strong. The first three dates went smoothly and the senior was falling for the female soccer player. The fourth dated ended the relationship. Devin and Samantha decided to go on a picnic the Sunday after the City Championship football game. Belmont won 26-12, with Smith making a dozen tackles and intercepting a pass. It was a beautiful, sunny day for a picnic. Despite being two years younger, Samantha drove on the date. All Devin could talk about was the game. "You football players aren't as good as you think," stated Samantha, finally tiring of his self-indulgence. "What do you mean by that?" he answered, irritated by the comment. "You're a co-captain and I'm a better athlete than you. I could beat you at any sport you name, including football." Smith rolled over on his back in laughter. "You think it's funny, I'll prove it," said Samantha. "Want to start with arm wrestling." "Anything you want girl," Smith said in total disrespect. Samantha placed her right elbow on the ground in arm wrestling position. "You're serious?" he asked. "You want to arm wrestle, OK. But I'm left- handed." Samantha pulled her right arm away and placed her left elbow on the ground. "Let's go," she said. They locked hands and Smith started pushing, but the girl's arm didn't move. He pushed harder, again with no results. He looked into her luscious brown eyes and saw no sign of strain. Smith gave it everything he had, but couldn't budge her arm an inch. Then Samantha Hawkins, 5-5 and 136 pounds, slowly, steadily pushed Devin's arm to the ground. The 6-0 Smith, who weighed nearly 190 during football season, was stunned. "Remember Devin, that was my weaker arm against your stronger one," she said. Smith had brought along a football, a treasure from Saturday's game. "Now let's see who the better football player is," said Samantha. "I bet I can throw it farther than you." Smith, still in shock from losing the arm wrestling match, didn't know what to say. Samantha took the football and let fly. It traveled nearly 60 yards in the air. She raced to the spot, marked it with a stick in the ground and punted the ball back to Devin with perfect form. "Try to match that, Star," she needled. Smith threw the ball as far as he could, but it landed 10 yards short of Samantha's throw. "You're supposed to be the great linebacker," she said. "Let's see if you can tackle me." This girl had embarrassed Devin twice. He wasn't going to put up this any longer. He wanted to tackle her hard, knock her down and knock her out. Samantha, dressed in a sweatshirt and shorts, started from 20 yards away running toward Smith. Devin began moving his legs, got in tackling position and ran to meet the girl. He hit her around the waist, but Samantha kept her piston like legs moving. She easily broke the tackle and sprinted 20 more yards before turning to see Devin pounding the dirt. "Let's go again," she said. Four more times Samantha ran at Devin and four more times he failed to tackle her, once missing her completely as she juked away from his grasp. After the last one she tossed the ball to Smith and told him it was his turn. Smith was furious. He began running right at Samantha, planning to bowl her over instead of avoiding her. Samantha lowered her shoulder, drove it into Devin's midsection and knocked him backward. Smith fumbled the ball and Samantha jumped on it, the ultimate humiliation for a running back. "Want to try again?" she asked. Devin ran at her one more time and Samantha tackled him even harder, though he managed to hold onto the ball. The final test was wrestling. Samantha pinned him three times in a row, each one taking less than a minute. "We're through," Smith yelled at her. "Your loss," she said. "Of course, you should be used to losing today. Now you want me to drive you home or carry you?" "I'll walk," he screamed. Samantha turned, ran back to her car and drove away, leaving Devin Smith beaten and bewildered. He had been a hero only 24 hours before. Now he had been physically humiliated by his girlfriend. Fortunately, none of his friends had seen them at the park. A couple of joggers did slow down and stare in amazement to watch her dominate him in wrestling. The match was arranged for a Wednesday after school. Morrison ordered his wrestlers to tell no one. But Samantha had passed the word to everyone she knew and began posting flyers around school. When Rodenberry spotted a couple of wrestlers tearing them down, he warned them to not do it again. Rodenberry then sent a note to the entire faculty encouraging them to attend. The poster read: Samantha Hawkins vs. Belmont Wrestling Team 1 Girl vs. 14 Boys Wednesday, 3:30, Main Gym A public relations firm could not have done a better job promoting the event than Samantha. Not only had she posted flyers around school, she put them up in supermarkets, drug stores and fast food places. She mailed them to all three TV stations and both newspapers, then followed that up with phone calls. By 3 o'clock Wednesday the gym was packed. Two of the television stations had sent photographers. A local columnist, hungry for a piece for Friday afternoon's paper, was there. People with no connection to the school had shown up, their curiosity aroused. Before Monday's practice, Devin Smith approached Ralph Morrison. "Coach, I think you need to take this match against the girl seriously," he said. "I saw her wrestle one of the football players and she beat him." "Who was it?" demanded Morrison. "I promised I wouldn't tell anyone, coach," said Smith. "Believe me, this girl is incredibly strong. She's going to outweigh the first half dozen guys she wrestles. If she wins those matches she's going to be close to winning this whole thing." "OK, thanks Devin." Morrison, usually known for his stubbornness, decided to heed the warning. The next two days he worked with his lightweights on staying away from their opponent, escapes, anything to avoid a pin. He figured the girl must weigh 125-130, so he had all his wrestles in that range take on lightweights and heavyweights, anything to get them used to someone that size. After Tuesday's practice he called his two best wrestlers into his office. One was his son, Brad, a senior who wrestled 154. The other was Todd Sunderlein, a 190-pound senior. "I don't know anything about this girl and whether or not she can wrestle," he said. "But I will not allow myself or my team to be embarrassed by some smart ass female. I'm pretty sure she will tire out and quit before she gets to you guys. Just in case she's still going, I don't want you to just beat her. I want you to hurt her. Make her quit. Let's get it over with and make damn sure no other girl every wants to try out for the team again. Wrestling is a man's sport." Brad nodded in agreement at his father. Todd looked confused. "I don't know if I can purposely hurt a girl, coach," he said. "I've never even wrestled one." "Hopefully, she'll be in the hospital before we get to you," said Ralph Morrison. "But if this fiasco hasn't ended before your match, I want you to end it. Is that clear?" "Yes coach," said Todd, uncomfortable with the order. Everyone underestimated Samantha's amazing endurance. She had played every minute of every soccer game. The City Championship had been scheduled for 2 o'clock one Saturday. Despite not even working out with the team all fall, Samantha asked the girls' cross-country coach if she could run in the City Meet the same morning as the soccer game. The coach agreed and Samantha covered the 3.2- mile course with ease, beating all the girls on the Belmont team and finishing third overall. At exactly 3:20 the Belmont wrestlers marched into the gym in order, lightest to heaviest, dressed in their green singlets. They had weighed in at 3, every one of Morrison's best wrestlers making weight. Samantha had weighed in separately, at 136 pounds. A few minutes later she entered the gym from the girls' locker room, dressed in a white cloth bathrobe, carrying a water squeeze bottle, two oranges and a calculus book. She had tied up her shiny brown hair in pigtails. The referee for the match, an American history teacher at Belmont who worked area matches, called Samantha and Belmont's two captains, Brad Morrison and Todd Sunderlein, to the center of the mat. Brad wanted to talk a little trash to this girl, but he was a student in one of the ref's classes and knew he couldn't get away with it. He tried to stare her down, which seemed to have no effect on Samantha. When they shook hands, Brad attempted to squeeze hers as hard as possible. Sunderlein gently shook Samantha's hand and wished her luck. Samantha had made two requests: That someone announce the result and team score after each weight class, and that matches would not be stopped even if one wrestler led by 15 points or more. Bobby Simmons, the athletic director, decided he would do the public address work. After seeing the crowd, he wished he had charged admission. The benches lined on each side of the mat made the challenge look even more absurd. There were 14 Belmont wrestlers, Morrison and his assistant coach, plus another 20 boys on the team who would not wrestle that day on the Belmont benches. On the other side sat one lone fearless girl. "Wrestling first, at 95 pounds, for the Belmont varsity is Jonathan Snider against Samantha Hawkins," bellowed Simmons. Samantha removed her robe to reveal a conservative, orange, two-piece bathing suit. She would wrestle in bare feet. Her curvaceous body hid her magnificent muscles. Samantha and Snider shook hands and the ref blew his whistle. The size difference immediately became obvious. Although Snider was a senor, he stood only 5-foot and weighed 92 pounds. Samantha owned a five-inch edge in height and 44-pound advantage in weight. For the first time Ralph Morrison looked worried. Snider, as instructed, did his best to avoid Samantha through the first period. She finally scored a takedown and he escaped, leaving the score 2-1 in her favor after the first two-minute session. Snider started in the down position to begin the second period. He never had a chance. Samantha easily turned him on his back and pinned him. "The winner at 95 pounds, with a pin at 19 seconds of the second period, Samantha Hawkins," announced Simmons. "The score: Samantha 5, Belmont wrestlers 0." Samantha gave Snider a look of sympathy as she shook his hand, then walked back to her bench. She took a sip of water, dropped the ground and ripped off 40 perfect pushups while she waited for the two minutes to pass until the next match. The 103-pound weight class went nearly identical to the 95. Samantha led 5- 0 after the first period. With her opponent starting on top to begin the second, she quickly escaped, took him down and pinned him. "The score: Samantha 10, Belmont wrestlers 0." A loud ovation erupted for Samantha. Some members of the faculty were surprised this quiet, studious girl could beat any boy in wrestling. Now she had pinned two in a row. The matches at 112, 119 and 126 were almost the same. Not one of the Belmont wrestlers lasted until the third period against Samantha. Instead of tiring, she seemed to be getting stronger. She pinned the 126-pounder in only 33 seconds. Not only was she stronger than Morrison's lightweights, she was quicker. Each one returned to the Belmont bench shaking his head in disbelief. "The score: Samantha 25, Belmont wrestlers 0." The fans in the gym were going wild. All the girls were obviously cheering for Samantha, but many of the boys had joined in on her side too. There were quite a few nonathletes who hated Ralph Morrison for embarrassing them in gym class. Brad wasn't real popular either. The students were taking great pleasure in watching Morrison's team humbled by a girl. Ralph Morrison was scared. He thought the girl might win one or two of the early matches by decision, but never be able to pin five of his wrestlers in a row. None of his 145-pounders could pin his excellent 119. But Samantha had handled that boy with ease, leading 13-2 before pinning him. He figured the next match would turn everything around. His 133 was undefeated this season with six pins in seven matches. He was a senior and three-year starter. Morrison's lineup included eight seniors, five juniors and one sophomore. Every one was older than Samantha, who turned 16 the fourth of October. "You've got to win for us boy," Morrison told Steve Acosta, his hope at 133. "This is turning into a disaster. We have to stop her." "No problem coach. She's going down fast." Acosta shared a Creative Writing course with Samantha. After the challenge had been issued and the match arranged, Acosta approached Samantha one day after class, even though they had never spoken. "You're going to get hurt girly," he warned. "And I may be the one who hurts you." Samantha laughed in his face and walked away, incensing Acosta. While Acosta bounced up and down, psyching himself for the match, Samantha sat calmly on her bench and studied her calculus book as if she were waiting for a bus. Her attitude infuriated him. When Samantha extended her hand to Acosta, he slapped it aside. The match was on. The wrestlers locked arms and Samantha quickly scored a takedown. Surprisingly, she let Acosta go, giving him one point for an escape. Thirty seconds later she took him down again, nearly pinned him, then let him go. She led 7-2. She scored another takedown and near pin before the end of the period for a 12-2 lead. She was dominating one of Belmont's best wrestlers, a guy nearly her own weight, as easily as she had manhandled the 95-pounder. Samantha started in the down position for the second period. She scored a reversal in less than 20 seconds, allowed Acosta to escape, then took Acosta down again and nearly pinned him, building her lead to a whopping 19- 3. Normally the 15-point lead would end the match, but Samantha had requested that the rule be waived and Morrison had agreed. She was in complete control of Acosta and could have pinned him at anytime. But again she suddenly stood up, allowing him another point. Twice more she scored takedowns and near falls in the period, then let him ago. Nearly everyone in the gym realized what was going on. She was toying with an undefeated wrestler. She led 29-5 at the end of the second period. Total humiliation. She scored a near fall to open the third period. Morrison threw a white towel onto the mat. The ref picked it and threw it back. Again Samantha let Acosta go, then took him down and nearly pinned him. The score was 37-6. "Stop it Paul," Morrison screamed at the ref. "She's humiliating him on purpose." "You agreed to no mercy rule," shot back the ref. "Let them wrestle." The buzzer finally sounded, ending the longest six minutes of Steve Acosta's life. "Let's wrestle again boy and next time I'll really hurt you," Samantha whispered in Acosta's ear as she climbed off him. In 22 years Morrison had never seen such a one-sided match. Acosta had not scored one point on his own. The girl had destroyed one of his top wrestlers, embarrassing his whole team in the process with her decisive victory. "The winner at 133 pounds by a score of 47-7, a superior decision, Samantha Hawkins. The score: Samantha 29, Belmont wrestlers 0." She had beaten Acosta so badly he couldn't even stand. Two other wrestlers nearly carried him off the mat and directly to the locker room. Left alone, Acosta began to cry. The 138-pound match was the closest yet. Jeff Caudill wasn't a particularly skilled wrestler, but Samantha extended so much effort in her previous match that she needed a break. She spent most of the time in control of Caudill, but didn't have the energy to pin him. The match ended tied at 5, but Samantha won a decision based on riding time. She drank some water, ate a couple of slices from one of her oranges and glanced at the scoreboard, beating the great Ralph Morrison's wrestling team 32-0 all by herself. With each victory the crowd cheered louder. Many who had been neutral at the start were now screaming for Samantha. Her soccer teammates waved signs saying, "Go Samantha" and "Slam 'em Sam." The TV photographers had planned to stay for only half an hour. But as the sexy brunette won match after match, they knew they had a great feature for the 6 o'clock news. The only thing missing was Samantha's reaction. She showed no emotion after each victory, acting as if she expected to win. She returned to form in the next match, building a 12-1 lead and pinning the 145-pounder early in the third period. "The score: Samantha 37, Belmont wrestlers 0." She had turned the contest into a massacre. Next waited Brad Morrison, the coach's son. Samantha never doubted she would win the team match. She knew none of the lighter wrestlers could give her any competition. Even if she lost a few matches in the heavier weight classes, she would still easily defeat the team. Her goal wasn't to just beat the wrestling team. She wanted to demolish it. Her victory had to be decisive. She wanted to humiliate Ralph Morrison. Force him to quit. She had circled three weight classes as must wins, matches in which she wanted to destroy her opponent. She accomplished that against Steve Acosta at 133. She needed to win just as decisively against Brad Morrison at 154 and Joe DeMastri at super heavyweight. Ralph Morrison approached his son before he stepped on the mat. He knew that even if Belmont won every match by pin the rest of the way they would still lose the team score. "Brad, this girl is ruining my reputation. We can't let it happen. You have to stop it right now. You have to hurt her." "No problem Dad." It took Samantha about 30 seconds to score her first takedown against Brad. She made no attempt to turn him on his back, but kept riding him, punishing him. Brad finally escaped, but Samantha quickly got him down again and continued to punish him. The first period ended with her leading 4-1. Samantha started the second period in the up position and quickly rolled over Brad and scored a near fall. The coach's son, famous for his conditioning, was gasping for air. Samantha turned him back on his stomach, rode him some more, then nearly pinned him again, leading 10-1. She put extra muscle into each takedown and hold, physically punishing her opponent as much as possible. She let Brad go with 20 seconds left in the second period, then scored another takedown and near pin for a 15-1 advantage going into the final period. Brad was exhausted. Samantha, starting the third period on the bottom, escaped and scored another takedown, making it 18-1. "No mercy rule," she whispered in Brad's ear. She put Brad on his stomach and beat him unmercifully with her forearms and legs, everything within the rules. She purposely let him go one more time so that she could run up the score, another takedown and near fall making it 23-2. Samantha glanced at the clock and with perfect timing, pinned Brad shoulders to the mat. The ref's hand slapped the mat with only one second remaining. "The winner at 154 pounds by a pin at 5:59, Samantha Hawkins. The score: Samantha 42, Belmont wrestlers 0." Nearly everyone in the gym, save for the Belmont wrestlers and a few football players, were on their feet applauding. Brad Morrison had bullied other kids for years. Seeing him totally humiliated by a girl made quite a few boys feel as if they had suddenly gotten even. She had beaten Brad even worse physically than she had on the scoreboard. He couldn't even stand up. Samantha bent over and scooped him up in her arms, silencing the entire gym. She effortlessly carried the defeated boy to the Belmont bench while the other wrestlers sat speechless. She dumped Brad on his father's lap. "Too bad you never taught your son how to wrestle," she said to Ralph, starring defiantly into his eyes. Ralph had been pushed beyond the breaking point. His team was finished. Even if the Belmont wrestlers won the last five bouts by pin they couldn't overtake Samantha's insurmountable lead. She had backed up her boast, beating the entire team by herself. It was more than Morrison could take. "Why you little bitch," screamed the father. He shoved his son to the floor and started after Samantha, who had turned her back and began walking away. Ralph's assistant coach and Sunderlein, the 190-pounder, intervened before Morrison embarrassed himself further. With everyone quiet while Samantha carried Brad to the Belmont bench, they heard what Morrison called her. Rodenberry decided right then he would fire Morrison as wrestling coach tomorrow. He couldn't fire him as a teacher because Morrison was tenured. But he knew by the next school year the coach would be teaching grade school kids how to play dodgeball. Samantha was tired. She had put all her effort into beating Brad Morrison, building that huge 23-2 lead before pinning him, just as she had planned. Belmont's next wrestler, at 165 pounds, held a mediocre record, but he got ahead of her early. She took control for a while in the second period, but rested by riding him, not even trying for a pin. The match ended in a draw, tied at 5. "The score: Samantha 44, Belmont wrestlers 2." Normally, Devin Smith would be the 177-pounder. But he had purposely lost to a lesser teammate in Monday's wrestleoffs. He knew after their picnic there was no way he could beat this incredible girl. She had whipped him three times in private as if he were a mere baby. He wasn't about to let it happen in public. Samantha, regaining her unparalleled strength, pinned Smith's backup early in the second period. Sunderlein was next. He seemed different than the other boys. He had offered Samantha a friendly "Hi" several times in the halls after the match had been arranged. His prematch handshake seemed genuine. Technically, he was the best wrestler on the team. But he lacked the meanness that Morrison liked in his wrestlers, the ability to develop a hate for your opponent. Too often Todd settled for decisions when Morrison thought his 190 could pin the opponent. But if the match was not in the balance, Sunderlein saw no benefit in embarrassing someone. He scored one takedown against Samantha late in the first period and led 2- 0 going into the second. Samantha, starting in the down position, escaped, but Todd managed another takedown for a 4-1 lead after two periods. Todd, starting down to open the third period, scored a reversal on Samantha to make it 6-1. He tried his best, but could not pin this amazing girl. He outweighed her by 50 pounds but she refused to let her shoulders be held to the mat. "The winner at 190 pounds, by a 6-1 decision, Todd Sunderlein. The score: Samantha 49, Belmont wrestlers 5." Only the other Belmont wrestlers clapped for the victory. A few in the crowd even booed, drawing laughter from many more. As the two wrestlers shook hands, Todd discreetly asked Samantha for her phone number. She said she would give it to him tomorrow. She also promised to beat him the next time they wrestled. Only two matches remained. The limit for the heavyweight class was 215 pounds. Belmont's heavy weighed 204. This was by far the most competitive match of the day. Morrison had buried his face in a towel nearly half the time after his son's defeat. When he did look he couldn't fathom any girl could wrestle like this one. He had never seen a combination of speed, strength and technique in any wrestler, male or female. Samantha trailed through most of the match against the heavyweight, but scored a reversal and near pin late in the third period for a 7-5 decision. Only Joe DeMastri, the superheavyweight, remained. Samantha had taken an instant dislike to him the second day of school when she saw him harassing a couple of girls at lunch. He was a fat, lazy slob. He was a backup defensive tackle on the football team, used mostly in short yardage situations. He waddled on and off the field. He overcame his lack of quickness in wrestling by his shear size and low center of gravity. He weighed in for the match at 319 pounds, 183 more than Samantha. She quickly got behind him when the match began, but couldn't get him off his meet. DeMastri stood in the center of the mat most of the time, shoving her away. She tried several leg trips, but nothing worked. The first period ended scoreless. Samantha started the second period in the down position. She knew she had to escape quickly before DeMastri could use his weight to wear her down. She shot out her legs, twisted away and pulled herself from his grasp, going ahead 1-0. She knew she could have avoided him the rest of the period and probably held on in the third for a close decision. But that's not what she wanted. DeMastri needed to be beaten. She kept moving quickly from side to side, ending up behind him if possible. Finally, she dove at the back of his knees and the big boy went down with a crash. She jumped on top of him and DeMastri knew he was in trouble. He squirmed frantically, but tired quickly. He made one move too many and somehow, in a final burst of energy, Samantha got his legs off the ground and pinned him a cradle. The ref slammed his hand to the mat. DeMastri had lost only two matches in the previous two years. He had never been pinned in his life. Until today. "The winner at Superheavyweight, by a pin at 1:41 of the second period, Samantha Hawkins. The final score: Samantha 57, Belmont wrestlers 5." Everyone in the stands, even the football players, stood and cheered and cheered for this magnificent female and her unbelievable accomplishment. The din was deafening. A 16-year-old girl had not just defeated the entire wrestling team by herself, she had annihilated it. More important to her, she ensured that the coach would be fired. One more surprise awaited those in attendance. Samantha helped pull DeMastri to his feet, then ducked under his stomach and lifted him across her shoulders. The crowd erupted again. The TV photographers had left, but anyone with a camera or videocam started shooting. She carried DeMastri over toward Simmons, who was about to hand the microphone back to the timer's table, and politely requested if she could say something. He handed her the mike. Samantha, still supporting DeMastri's bewildered 319 pounds, walked to the center of the mat, the mike in her left hand, her right hand balancing his mammoth legs. "I want to thank all of you for coming to the match today. I sincerely appreciate everyone who supported me, particularly my teammates on the soccer team. "I think Belmont is a wonderful school, but girls have been severely overlooked in terms of athletics. I propose that the first event next fall should be a soccer game between the boys' team and the girls' team. And I guarantee the girls will win." More applause. "Next year, in addition to soccer and an occasional cross-country meet, I plan to play linebacker on the football team," she said, taking a personal shot at Devin Smith, anxious to show everyone she was a better football player than him. "I don't see any reason why we can't repeat as City Champions. "And finally, if there is a new coach in place, I would like to join the wrestling team, if I'm welcome. I will wrestle the toughest opponent from the other school, regardless of weight, and maybe we can win a team championship in wrestling. Thank you all." Not once did her gorgeous legs even quiver under the humongous wrestler. The beautiful brunette, still carrying DeMastri across her shoulders, walked to the timer's table and handed back the microphone. She then returned to the center of the mat and carefully lowered her 319-pound load to the floor. She placed a bare foot on his chest and flexed her biceps. In less than two hours Samantha Hawkins had single-handedly changed Belmont High School forever. One girl had proven herself totally superior to an entire wrestling team. The crowd responded with a final thunderous ovation.