At the River Valley Conference Championship meet Saturday at West Liberty, the Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk boys wrestling team, and senior Burke Berry saved the best for last.

The Golden Hawk 285lber made his way to the top of the River Valley Conference podium. Berry started the day with a fall over Kadin Liles of Monticello in the quarters. His semifinal win was a pin of Erik Boge of Dyersville Beckman Catholic. In the finals, he went toe-to-toe with Francisco Honts of Wilton, with the match tied in the final 20 seconds, Berry, shot, and scored, taking a 4-2 win and the title. He spoke after the match about his win.

Berry said, “I knew I had to score. My game plan was to wait until the last minute because I knew if I took my first shot and I missed, there was not going to be a second chance. I just had to get in there late and do my thing. I never imagined I would make it this far. When I first started in eighth grade, I was way behind everybody else in wrestling. A win like this makes you look back. I couldn’t have picked a better time for it, my senior year! You see everybody else, you hear the crowd roaring! They don’t expect you do it, but you still do it!”

Quinn Callahan also competed and finished fourth. Mid-Prairie will next be in action Saturday when they host the Colton Allen Memorial Invitational.