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Cowboy Up: Jet Ligums Breaks School Record for Wrestling Wins
In the quarterfinal round of the Prep Slam Wrestling tournament in Atlanta, GA, Head Coach Alan Paul took quick notice of Jet Ligums’ ’26 opponent. At stake were Prep Slam All-American honors and breaking Mason Lum’s ’25 record of 138 individual match wins.
“He was a big, strong, muscled-up kid who looked like he did not weigh 157,” said Paul.
When the whistle blew to start the match, Ligums was driven back off the mat. It was not an auspicious start, but no points were scored on that move. At that point, Coach Paul knew what to say and Ligums knew what to do.
According to Coach Paul, Ligums trains as hard as anyone in the mat room, yet what takes him to the next level is his competition mode.
“He is a tournament guy,” said Paul. “He has a switch that turns on in matches. We say ‘Cowboy up’ to help him reset.”
Coaches Paul and Danny Henderson came up with the phrase “Cowboy up” to help Ligums ignite that switch. Ligums works on a ranch in the summers, and the slogan was a good fit.
Ligums heard it loud and clear when he returned to the circle after being on his heels in the first seconds of the match.
“The match started out a little rocky, and I got driven out of bounds,” said Ligums. “I had a few seconds to reset and took a deep breath. I trusted a move I’ve worked on since I was six years old.”
Ligums pinned him in 45 seconds, time enough to “Cowboy up!”
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