Opportunities often are what one makes of them.

For Colin Rex, it was the chance of a lifetime.

When North Schuylkill’s Mason Madden-Edwards, the District 11 runner-up at 132 pounds, was unable to compete at last weekend’s Southeast Regional Tournament due to injury, it created an opening for Rex, who was the alternate after placing fifth at districts.

Rex seized the moment.

With a sixth-place finish in the Class 2A regional event, the Northwestern junior punched his ticket to the PIAA Championships, something Rex could have only dreamed of just a few days earlier.

“I wanted, personally, to make it out to regionals,” Rex said. “I wasn’t expecting to make it all the way to states or anything like that. So it definitely worked out in my favor. “

Despite the short notice, Rex stayed ready.

“On Monday my coach (Jim Moll) gave me a call and he was like there’s a 90 percent chance that you’re wrestling, 10 percent chance that the kid (Madden-Edwards) might still wrestle,” Rex recalled. “So I kinda knew I was wrestling. I just practiced throughout the week. And later in the week he told me that I was in.”

But it certainly wasn’t easy

After losing his first round match by technical fall, Rex reeled off three straight wins in the consolation bracket to secure his spot in Hershey.

Two of those wins came versus opponents Rex was a combined 0-5 against this season in Northern Lehigh’s Ezra Neff and Saucon Valley’s Justin Kyra.

Rex knocked off Schuylkill Valley’s Hunter Williams 11-9 in a first round-consolation bout before erasing a 7-1 deficit to edge Neff 10-7. He took down Kyra 9-3 in a third-round elimination match.

Kyra, who had defeated Rex three times this season, won their last meeting 14-2 at last week’s district tournament to keep Rex out of the third-place match.

“I know he’s known for big throws and stuff like that,” Rex said of Kyra. “So coming into the match, I knew I just couldn’t get thrown and that I had to wrestle my match and use my stuff and take it to him.

“My mindset was to go out there and win. I’m in states and it’s going to be a great experience for me. I think it just shows that I’ve gotten better over time. It feels great.”

That hard work has shown throughout the season, which has given Rex more confidence each time he takes the mat.

“I think I grew a lot,” he said. “My coaches told me that they wanted to see me in the room, and just really focus and get things done. I just went in (to the practice room), told myself I was going to get some hard work in, and come out better and stronger. I definitely grew a heck of a lot from the beginning of the season.”

While Rex counts his improved dedication as a part of his enhanced performance, he also credits the commitment of the Tigers’ coaching staff for helping him get better.

“They tell me what I need to do and what I need to work on,” Rex said. “They always tell me I have potential; I just need to work a little bit harder in the room. So when I see that, I see how much they care about me, then I just want to go out there and perform better.”

Rex is one of four state qualifiers from his team, two of which – Caleb Clymer and Baily Wehr – have been in district and regional finals in back-to-back weeks. Jackson Bernhard also placed sixth at regionals to make it to states.

“It was a whole new experience for me,” Rex said of competing in his first regional tournament. “Caleb (Clymer) helped me through it. He kinda showed me the ropes.

“It was just kinda cool to train and warm-up with all the big guys, and all these good wrestlers. It was definitely a great experience.”

What lies ahead is another chapter in Rex’s season that’s still to be written, one he can’t wait to get started this Thursday at Hershey’s Giant Center.

“I’m ready to go out there and wrestle and just see what it’s like,” he said. “Just to be on that stage, and to see what it’s like.”