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HURRICANE — Many high schools put a lot of emphasis on sports victories.
There are trophy cases at almost every school showing the success of past teams. But some accomplishments can't fit in a trophy case.
"I was really proud of all those wrestlers who made it up to state," said Ryan Christiansen, the wrestling coach at Hurricane High School.
Christiansen is still smiling at what his team did during the state championships in Orem last week.
"We took seven wrestlers, which is an improvement over what we've had before," said Christiansen.
You can tell the school is sure proud of the team, judging by all the signs and pictures in the Hurricane gymnasium. Their real victory, though, came at the team hotel Friday night when they heard a woman screaming for help.
"My first initial thought was the woman was in need of something, like she was getting hurt or someone was attacking her, so my initial thought was I was about to get in a fight with somebody," said senior wrestler Allan Madsen.
That was brave enough. But what they saw would take even more courage.
"We came running in to see a man dead, sitting on a chair. It was a really shocking, traumatic experience," said senior wrestler Devin English.
"He was discolored, his mouth was open, he was leaning back, no movement, not even breathing," said Madsen.
Instead of doing nothing, though, the coach and wrestlers started CPR. That screaming woman was the man's wife.
"It was really hard to see his wife, sitting there," said English.
It seemed like forever, but after a minute or two, the man started breathing.
"It gives me chills every time I think about it," said Madsen. "I took a CPR class just a few weeks ago at school and it was great to have that knowledge when I was there."
The man, Kent Moser from Preston, Idaho, was taken to a hospital. He's doing well now. Doctors told the family the team saved his life.
"It really changed our attitudes toward life. It made me just want to tell everyone I love them then and there," said English.
"I didn't do anything special. We don't feel like heroes," said Christiansen. "We just feel like we did what any person should do."
Hurricane's wrestlers didn't come home with any state titles, but what they accomplished is more important than anything you'll ever find in a trophy case.
"I think they learned a bigger lesson about life and about what really matters," said Christiansen.
