Given that Friday night football and wrestling were at the heart of the community, I felt like I belonged. I sat with that moment for a week before texting him: “What happened the other night really messed with me and it still bothers me. At one point, my back hit the mat and all I could feel was what I’d felt that night. Procedurally, it felt like justice, but nothing about my life felt normal anymore. I didn’t tell any of my teammates or my friends or family what had happened — my parents finally just found out this year.
