Keegan makes his comeback

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Cronin wrestles at the Boys Wrestling Rumble on the Red Tournament Dec 28-29, 2013.

Irene Astran, Sports Editor

During last year’s wrestling season, senior Keegan Cronin’s health took a drastic turn, which caused his season to end prematurely due to stage four cancer. This November, Cronin has made his way back to the mat. With the support of his teammates, friends and family he thinks he can achieve the greatness that awaits him this year.

“When I went in it was just a minor injury,” Cronin said. “They told me I would be out for a little bit, but after running tests through pathology, three or four days afterwards I found out that I could not continue wrestling through the year.”

Cronin said his gratitude towards those who supported him during that time prevailed. The wrestling community came together in an effort to fundraise for Cronin in his time of need. Although he was not present at the duals dedicated towards fundraising for him, he said he appreciated everyone who attended.

“Everyone was very supportive,” Cronin said. “The wrestling team helped sell t-shirts which helped a lot. There were duals that I saw a lot of people showed up to. I was not able to be there, but I saw a lot of people were supporting me there.”

Keegan’s mother, Pam Cronin, also believes the unity shown throughout the school district was remarkable.

“It really pulled everyone together,” Pam said. “It did not matter if it was Sheyenne or West Fargo, it was all the kids coming together that knew us or knew him.”

Now that Cronin’s health is stable, he plans on making a significant comeback. He holds various team goals as well as individual goals. Wrestling has been one of the factors in his life that taught  him how to have a hard working mentality.

“[Wrestling] relates to life. It gives you a lot of mental strength,” Cronin said. “It is hard work and you have to learn to push through it.”

“This year, I want to place higher at state and I want to see the team do really well at state too. I think we can make it pretty far,” he added.

Head wrestling coach Kayle Dangerud said Cronin’s goals are well within his and the team’s reach. He believes that with hard work and dedication, his team can achieve anything this season.

“We have the talent and it is just a matter of putting the work in this year and hopefully we will achieve our goals,” Dangerud said. “He [Cronin] is one of the most experienced wrestlers at his weight class. I can definitely see him being among the top two in the state. There will be good things to come for him.”

In addition to pushing through the issues that came about with Cronin’s health, he continues to challenge himself through wrestling. He firmly believes that a strong mentality will pay off in any situation.

“Hard work will always pay off in the end and you can do a lot more than you think you are capable of,” Cronin said. “If you keep pushing through everything, then you can make it out.”