No wrestler enjoys coming up short on the mat, but sometimes a loss can turn out to be a good thing.

That’s what Massabesic coach Rick DeRosier is hoping will happen after his team made the long trip to Athens, Pennsylvania to compete in a rugged tournament, which featured powerhouse teams from both PA and New York.

None of the Mustangs came out of Saturday’s Jarvis Wildcat Memorial Tournament unscathed as even standouts like Trevor Walton, Leo Amabile and Logan Martin took some lumps.

The losses from Saturday might have stung, but when it comes time for the Mustangs to compete in the postseason, that experience will help the Massabesic grapplers.

I was able to make the trip down to Pennsylvania -– Athens is my hometown -– and I witnessed several things that I believe will help the Mustangs down the road.

The first is the Massabesic kids got to see a different style of wrestling, which DeRosier called “more aggressive.”

I’m sure DeRosier is hoping some of that style will rub off on his kids and they can use that to their advantage against the rest of the teams on their schedule.

Another thing that DeRosier talked about was the way the wrestlers from PA and New York worked from the top position. Several Mustangs had trouble getting out when in the bottom position and hopefully that experience will benefit them as the season progresses. Not only when they are on bottom, but also when they are in control in the top position.

For someone like Walton, who is a defending state champion, it’s going to be only on rare occassions that he will face a competitor at his skill level. Even on Saturday, he rolled through his first four matches with four pins, but in the finals the standout met another talented wrestler and dropped a 5-0 decision.

I’m sure Walton was dissapointed with the loss, but I guarantee he will take that defeat and learn from it.

One positive thing that came out of the Mustangs’ trip to Pennsylvania had nothing to do with the action on the mat. A road trip like that is almost always a great way for a team to bond and become closer as a group.

From what I saw over the weekend, the Mustangs definitley made the most of their trip to PA – both with the experience they got on the mats and in their down time.

When the postseason rolls around, I guarantee this past weekend’s experience will help the Mustangs do some damage .— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at [email protected] or at 282-1535 ext. 322. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @ JournalTsports.