Molina survives scare to wrestle another day

Dan Molina tried to smile when reminded a wrestling coach at Sierra College was expected to call on the telephone the next day.

"This is a different outcome than I wanted to give him," Molina shrugged Saturday night at the conclusion of the Northern 4A Regional Tournament in Sparks.

The good news is that the Douglas High School senior is able to speak about the outcome at all after the scare he survived Friday night that resulted in an emergency trip to the hospital. It was one of those scares that puts athletics into perspective.

Molina came in looking to challenge for the 189-pound weight class championship, only to see those hopes come crashing to the mat inside The Brickhouse at Sparks High School when he was pinned in the first round by Churchill County's Jeff Prinz.

As it turned out, the defeat was the least of Molina's concerns.

Coach Mike Gamberg realized within moments there was a problem when he saw Molina labor to breathe. There was no hesitation as the coach threw the larger Molina over his shoulder, rushed him across the mat and to the trainer's table. The call went out for 9-1-1 as medical personnel worked at the table to restore Molina's breathing to normal.

The scene was intense -- frightening, actually -- before an ambulance arrived to transport the stricken to Washoe Medical Center, where he was treated and released later that same night. He was back in the Sparks gym on Saturday to support his Douglas teammates on the final day of the regional tournament.

"They told me it was cervical spinal spasms that closed off my breathing," said Molina, who wore a neck brace. "I was scared, big time. The whole thing was kind of hard to believe at the time."

Molina's injury was a cervical sprain, possibly sustained the week before during a match against Carson and aggravated when he tried to bridge after being taken down by Prinz.

Gamberg, who works for the Nevada Highway Patrol, didn't have time to think about being scared. If there were a record for fastest time in the fireman's carry/20-yard dash, the Douglas coach very likely would have broken it on Friday night.

"When you're scared the way I was, you don't stop to think about it," Gamberg said. "I saw he was in trouble and I don't like that. I think of all the kids on this team like they're my own."

Molina received an ovation from fellow wrestlers, coaches and fans when he was wheeled out of the gym on a stretcher. The scene was similar afterward at Washoe Medical Center, where family members waited. Members of the Galena wrestling team even showed up to express their concern and support. And later, Molina was presented with an autographed team T-shirt by the Churchill County Greenwave.

News that their teammate wasn't seriously injured seemed to inspire the Tigers Saturday when they moved from seventh to fifth in the final team standings.

"I think they were all riding the fact that Dan was OK. They all said they wanted to do it for Dan," Gamberg said. "That's one of the things we always preach, that our wrestling program is like a family and I think that showed Saturday. We have great wrestlers and great parents."

Even though Molina knew he was finished on the mat, there was no keeping him away from the tournament on Saturday.

"I had to be here to support the team," Molina said.

It's just that he didn't want to be sitting in the bleachers. He would have preferred to have been on the mat scoring points and qualifying to compete at the 4A state tournament this Friday and Saturday at Reno High School.

"I've had better days, but I'm all right," Molina said. "Yes, this does give me a different perspective. It's great to be here now."