Central Dauphin's Nick Varndell felt at ease in front of the Giant Center crowd Thursday night.
It was good to be back.
Varndell's had his share of setbacks this season. From injuries to his father passing away a day before the district tournament, it's been a year to forget for the Rams senior.
But Varndell put that behind him -- at least for six minutes -- registering an 8-2 decision in his 145-pound bout during the Rams' 40-14 pasting of North Allegheny.
"It does get my mind off all the personal and physical problems I've had," Varndell said. "There are probably a lot of people that don't think I'm going to do well this year.
"When I was going through a tough time, my dad was there. He never showed any pain and was an inspiration to me. If I was in pain, getting tired, I would ask myself what my dad would do and push through it."
Varndell was only wrestling in his third bout this season. He looked good for the first two periods against Vincent Leschak, hitting a pair of takedowns and scoring near-fall points.
He gassed a bit in the third, but all things considered, it was a successful return to the mat.
"It's only my third time wrestling," Varndell said. "It's rough. My stamina still isn't the best, but I work hard in the room and try to improve every day.
"I feel good enough to be back on the mat, and I just want to do the best I can for the team."
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