Cody Harrison opened the Stateliners' win over Warren Hills with a major decision.
Not only was he facing his old team, but Phillipsburg sophomore Cody Harrison was wrestling a friend in the opening bout of a pressure-packed home match against Warren Hills on Wednesday night.
Harrison, who wrestled his freshman season at Warren Hills before moving, handled the situation just fine, posting a 10-0 major decision over Codey O'Rourke to open up the Stateliners' 37-24 victory.
"I was a little nervous because I couldn't lose. I knew I had the team behind me. Everything fell into place. I just went out there and did my job," Harrison said.
What was it like for Harrison to take on O'Rourke?
"I was friends with him from Warren Hills. He was one of my better friends from Warren Hills," Harrison said. "When the ref blows the whistle, you aren't friends anymore."
Even with the Warren Hills student section directing some chants his way, Harrison stayed focused.
"I like being the first bout just to set the tone for the whole night," Harrison said. "Just block everything out, worry about yourself and that's it."
Harrison had a 2-0 lead after the first period bout at 126 pounds. He didn't stop there, making it 6-0 after the 2nd period and ending up with a 10-0 major decision.
"He did great. Cody's best when he's creating angles, he's getting into his opponent, he's pressuring forward all the time," Phillispburg coach Dave Post said. "One of his things with his wrestling, once he scores points, he piles them on quickly. Sometimes it takes him a little bit to get that first score, but then he keeps going, going and going. And that's what happened there tonight. It was good to start off the match there, especially with a bonus point."
The win got the Stateliners going on the night as they improved to 6-1 on the season.
"It's amazing. Nothing like it in the world. It's just the best feeling in the world, going out there and winning in front of the crowd. It's unbelievable," Harrison said about being a Stateliner.
Josh Folck may be reached at jfolck@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshFolck. Find Lehigh Valley high school sports on Facebook.