Jun 29, 2018 3 min read

It was a frightening scene.

Skyler Adams was on the wrestling mat in extreme pain and it appeared to be a neck injury. The junior from Canon-McMillan was attended to by the trainers on hand, and as the crowd looked on in silence members of the wrestling teams from Kiski and Canon-McMillan were praying on the sidelines.

An ambulance was summoned, Adams was strapped onto a stretcher and carted off the mat. It would be the final time Adams would wrestle.

Adams damaged muscle and ligaments in his neck and suffered damage to the neck bone. But the positive news from this incident was that Adams is expected to make a full recovery, albeit with a caveat: no severe contact sports.

Ever.

“I knew I was going to have to wrestle up (a weight class) and I was just thinking, ‘Do my job,'” said the 17-year-old Adams, recalling that day this winter. “I wanted to keep the match close. I was trying to help my team out and looking back, it (stinks) that it happened. But when you step on the mat, anything can happen. It’s a dangerous sport.”

Adams was selected for the Heart Award in the Best of Sports collection. It’s given to an athlete who is overcoming a serious injury or adversity.

Adams was hurt during the finals of the WPIAL Class AAA Team Tournament at Trinity High School in a match that Kiski won.

In the 160-pound match, Kiski’s Nick Delp was attempting to sit out after a double-arm bar and Adams tried to bridge out. A wrestler bridges out by using his head to keep his shoulders off the mat.

Adams’ head got stuck on the mat for a moment, causing it to twist, and he lay in obvious pain after the pin was called.

At first, it was believed Adams suffered just soft tissue and muscle damage. Once the swelling went down, doctors found more damage. Adams will undergo surgery in Pittsburgh next month to have screws inserted to stabilize his neck.

Doctors have told Adams that recovery time will be six months, December, and the only restriction he will have is no contact sports of any type.

That hurts.

“The doctors said there is probably no chance that I can wrestle again,” Adams said. “I still want to be on the sidelines. It was painful knowing I couldn’t contribute to my team or wrestle for Canon-Mac again.”

Adams said he was touched by the concern shown by coaches and teammates, who came to visit.

“At Canon-Mac, it’s like a family,” said Adams. “When I got hurt, there were people coming out of the woodwork to see if I was OK. It was nice to see so many people who cared.”

And Adams provided some motivation to them when he made the trip to Hershey to cheer the team on in the PIAA Team Tournament. Wearing a neck brace, he sat with the team as the Big Macs finished in fourth place.

“When you wrestle, you learn discipline and dedication you can use every day,” he said. “It builds determination and drive. If I can get through that, I can get through anything life deals.”

The future is bright for Adams. He is planning a career as an electrical linesman for a power company.

“I don’t want a desk job,” he said. “I want to work with my hands, do something new every day.”