Publisher's Synopsis
Amidst the green pines and blue lakes of northwoods Wisconsin Jake and Pete grew up best friends. In their junior year of high school Pete places third in state wrestling with dreams of winning it all the next year. Jake is an all-conference basketball player with a bright future in the sport. The death of Pete the summer before their senior year rocks the small town of Birch Falls. No one is more affected than Jake who withdraws from school, sports, and friends. Eventually he decides to try to win a state championship in wrestling in place of Pete - even though he has never wrestled. He struggles early in the season until he meets and is trained by Andy, the town's only former state champion and current town drunk. As he chases the impossible Jake learns more than just wrestling moves, begins to pull out of his depression, begins to fall for Aimee, and learns the real reason Andy drinks and that he is not the only one that has had to bury someone.
