Vandagriff Turns Adversity Upside-Down

Last year, Erin Vandagriff was probably within 2 hours of kidney and liver failure.

This year, Vandagriff is within two wins of the state tournament.

Vandagriff has a hard time making sense of the past 12 months.

What high school student, after all, could picture himself as almost dying from toxic shock syndrome?

Then again, how does a young person survive such an illness and have the confidence to encounter someone sculpted like a Greek god?

“It’s kind of hard to picture myself up there with the better guys - because of the past years,” said the Mead High senior. “I don’t consider myself better than other guys.”

Despite his words, Vandagriff IS better than the other guys. At least better than any 168-pound wrestler in the Greater Spokane League.

Vandagriff mowed through the District 8-AAA field last weekend, scoring three consecutive pins to claim the title and No. 1 seed to the Region IV tournament, Friday and Saturday at Central Valley High.

What amuses Vandagriff about the whole situation is the identity of the other No. 1 regional seed at 168. The wrestler who could hook up with Vandagriff in the regional final is two-time State AAA champion Dave Herzog of Davis High in Yakima.

Herzog is the young man with THE physique and THE presence.

It’s mighty hard to picture Herzog wasting away in a hospital bed, with a temperature of 106.

But Vandagriff has been in that position. In truth, he might not have escaped his body’s revolt without the persistence of his father Jack.

Vandagriff’s odyssey began last year during a tournament at CV. In a match against a Moses Lake wrestler, Vandagriff split his upper lip.

Staph on the mat wormed its way into Vandagriff’s system through his lip. Within 20 minutes, Vandagriff could barely stand. He had another match to wrestle, yet he needed assistance to stay awake.

The next day he spiked a horrible fever. His body was boiling, but Vandagriff felt chilled.

His father took him to a local hospital. Rest and take plenty of fluids, he was told.

Watching his son agonize at home, the elder Vandagriff knew something was terribly wrong. He tried a different hospital - and Dr. Scott Edminster, whose son Joel also wrestled for Mead. Edminster, who diagnosed toxic shock syndrome, said Vandagriff was perhaps 2 hours away from organ failure.

Vandagriff, whose sophomore season had been ruined by a broken left shoulder, returned to the team in hopes of some success.

“I figured that I had made a commitment to the team, so I wanted to be there,” Vandagriff said.

But having to shed 20 pounds to get back to 141 took its toll. Vandagriff finished fourth at district, then faded at region.

Vandagriff allowed his body to settle into a more natural range, around 168, and put his concerted efforts into this season. Vandagriff is 24-4 overall, including wins at the Deer Park and Mead tournaments.

“I think he was just so surprised to be still healthy and in one piece,” Mead coach Cash Stone said. “He has tough road (at region), but he has already accomplished great things.”