Jacob Meister, a 17-year-old junior at Bradford High in Pennsylvania who has cerebral palsy and autism, has been a huge supporter of his school’s wrestling team. So, when he got the chance to take to the mat himself, it was a dream come true.

His match, which came against teammate Dillon Keane, was the grand finale on Jan. 3 and it did not disappoint.

Meister took Keane down and got the pin in a speedy 30 seconds.

 

 

As for how the match came to be?

“It was brought up a while ago in a conversation between me and my mom, and I was immediately very excited to make it happen,” Keane told The Bradford Era. “He seemed excited and definitely showed interest when he got to wrestle around with some of the guys on the team a few weeks back.”

Meister is a member the squad, goes to every practice and travels when the team is on the road, all so he can cheer on his teammates.

The memory of his victory will last a lifetime, not just for the teen himself, but for his family as well.

“Watching Jake on the mat was a dream for me as well,” his mother, Mary Jo Corignani, said. “At the age of three, we were told that he’d never walk. To see him on the mat and to hear his name being cheered brought me to tears –– happy tears.”

And the gratitude runs deep.

“That match was so much more than just watching a child with disabilities. It was about a team, a team filled with heart. I will be forever grateful for the way they’ve embraced my son,” she said. “Disability has never defined Jake. And, if anything, he’s proved different doesn’t mean less.”

As for what Meister’s future holds on the wrestling mat, all bets are on that he eventually wins another. After all, he’s only a junior.