ST. LOUIS — After winning his first two matches on Thursday in the NCAA Wrestling Championships, something all-too familiar struck Penn State and former Kasson-Mantorville star Brady Berge.
The 157-pound junior sustained an injury in Friday's quarterfinals and had to default from the match.
Berge had spent almost all of last season dealing with a possible career-threatening head injury, only to come back this season with a vengeance.
But on Friday, No. 12 seed Berge's hopes of a national championship crumbled. That happened as his right leg got twisted beneath him at the 2:39 mark as he took on Rider No. 4 seed Jesse Dellavecchia. Berge had to default and was helped off the mat.
Berge was also injured his junior year at Kasson-Mantorville, when he broke his left leg at the state tournament. He'd won three straight state titles before having to injury default that season. He went on to win another state crown as a senior.
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Thursday, Berge had recorded an impressive 3-2 win over No. 5-seed Kaleb Young of Iowa. In the first round, Berge won by major decision.
