Anson wrestler heads to Nebraska

WADESBORO — One of Anson’s Bearcats is trading in his orange for blue as he becomes a York College Panther this fall.

Dakwan Cash committed to York College in Nebraska for the men’s wrestling program — a path he never imagined two years ago.

During his junior year, James Wall, high school athletic director and wrestling coach, approached Cash in the cafeteria telling him he should sign up and join the wrestling team. Cash had never wrestled before and knew very little about the sport, but he was not playing another sport so he had the time.

“I said, ‘I might as well do it,’ so I signed up,” Cash said. “I didn’t really like it that much at first, but in my senior year I started to like it more.”

He immediately saw how different wrestling was compared to other sports. Plus his teammates quickly became family to him as they bonded throughout the seasons.

His senior season was a little more complicated as they had to navigate through COVID-19 rules and protocols, but that did not stop Cash from dominating the mat, earning him a spot on the York College team.

Cash never pictured himself as a college athlete, especially after only having two full seasons of wrestling. He signed up on a website on a whim to see if he would be recruited.

“(York College) contacted me,” Cash said. “They said they were looking for 184 to 195.”

Now as he heads off to Nebraska in August, he is having mixed emotions. Cash and his future teammates were told to get to York College earlier and he believes they will start training right away.

But even before the training in Nebraska, Anson coaches are going to provide Cash with a wrestling camp to help him prepare and make the transition from the high school level to York College’s Division II competition. One of his coaches was also a collegiate wrestler and he has been passing on tidbits of information to help Cash with the jump.

“It’s going to be challenging at first,” Cash said. “…He told me that it’s just like high school, but they are just a little bit bigger.”

York College is a private college affiliated with the Churches of Christ, located in York County. The DII college competes in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference.

“BOOM! Please welcome Dakawn Cash to the YC men’s wrestling program,” read a post on the York College Wrestling Facebook page. “…We are excited for this young man to be in our program. Go Panthers!”