Prairie senior Dylan Munson's on the mend after suffering neck injury at state

DES MOINES — Ninety seconds.

An internal timer began ticking in Cedar Rapids Prairie senior 113-pounder Dylan Munson’s head after he’d been dropped violently on it in his state wrestling meet quarterfinal match Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena. Pain pulsated through Munson’s head and neck area after that encounter with Council Bluffs Lewis Central’s Weston Porter — who officials ruled had delivered an illegal slam.

Munson fervently hoped to continue wrestling, but it quickly became apparent that wouldn’t be remotely possible.

“I think I closed my eyes, or I blacked out — one of the two — but I’m pretty sure I just closed my eyes when I got hit,” said Munson, who was released from the hospital Friday and faces a two- to six-week recovery window. “I couldn’t really move my left side very well, and I was like, ‘I’ve gotta find a way to get back up before the minute (and) 30 (seconds injury time) is done.’ So I was trying to count in my head but I couldn’t count and I was getting worried.”

Medical personnel rushed to examine Munson, who was eventually placed on a stretcher and hospitalized. Doctors conducted tests and administered aid to reduce severe neck swelling. But all Munson could think about was how desperately he wanted to be there for his teammates, as usual, even in that excruciatingly painful moment.

“Way to end your season,” Munson, who finished sixth because of Porter’s disqualification, remembered thinking. “You want to be able to be there for your team, and sometimes you can’t.”

But Munson returned to Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday, cheering on and shoring up his teammates on the back side, and deepening his already unbreakable bonds with all the other Hawks at the state meet. He’ll wear a neck brace during the recovery process, which has made it nearly impossible to sleep, but he’s clearly on the mend — and Saturday night he took part in his third Grand March as a three-time state medalist.

“It’s great to be in it,” Munson said. “I’m proud of my teammates who made it. I’m really grateful to have a great team around me. It sucks this is my last year, but things happen. You can’t really control that.”

Munson said he holds no ill will toward Porter, who wrestled back to take third after the one-match disqualification. Porter apologized to Munson on Saturday and told him he didn’t intend to make an illegal slam. Munson accepted that mea culpa and wished Porter well.

“It’s nerves, you get caught up in the moment, you do something you didn’t mean to,” Munson said. “I saw he won his match. It’s a great win for him. He’s a great wrestler. I think he has two more years. He’s a stud. The kid’s really good.”

So is Munson, even as he grapples with the inevitable what-ifs that accompany his painful injury and ongoing recovery.

“I wish the best for all of the people that are wrestling still,” he said. “I know it’s a big tournament. Everybody loves to be here. I want them to get the most out of it. Wish I could have gotten the most out of it. I’m just really grateful to be here.”

Comments: robgray18@icloud.com