Following the bittersweet ceremony of senior night, the varsity wrestling team took on the LaPorte Slicers in one of their last home meets of the season. With the help of standout seniors, the team beat the Slicers with a final score of 45-21.
“Jake Kleimola (12), who’s our senior captain, Russell Gibbs (12), Nick Nykiel (12) [and] all of our seniors really wrestled tough, which was good since it’s senior night. We’re losing a lot of talent [this year] unfortunately, but we’re young. This year we have a lot of guys coming back, and that’s going to be beneficial for us for the next couple years,” Coach Josh Morgan said.
Seniors such as Kleimola had mixed feelings about senior night.
“Senior night was exciting, but it was disappointing too. After seeing it for three years and finally being in it and knowing that [the season is] coming to an end, it was disappointing, but I don’t think any of the seniors in the starting lineup lost so that’s exciting. [As a senior,] I just try to help the guys out and teach everyone as much as they can learn and just take everything I’ve learned over the years to instill into them,” Kleimola said.
Younger teammates realize the impact that losing this year’s seniors will have on the team as well.
“[I did] a lot better than I usually do because I actually got my head into it. Motivation from the rest of the team and coach helped me finally get my head back into it, and the seniors played a part in that big time. It’s going to be difficult without them there,” Brett Brown (11) said.
The next varsity wrestling meet is on Saturday, Jan. 9 at Hanover Central High School.
