On January 17th, the wrestling team held their senior night to bid farewell to all of their graduating members. Victoriously, they scored 46-21 in their meet against the Portage Indians. While this outcome was satisfactory, the competition was fierce.
“I think I did pretty well for a match that was against an opponent that was pretty good. He gave me a run for my money, but I definitely did well,” Aidan Gutierrez (12) said.
Since this night commemorated all of the work the seniors have put in over the years, many of them reminisced over their start to the sport.
“I started wrestling because I was doing jiu-jitsu, and it was pretty similar to it. I’ve really enjoyed it over the years,” Mason Jones (12) said.
Wrestling has become a community for the athletes, as many of the members have grown in both age and ability with each other. This time spent together has created many long-lasting friendships among the group.
“I started wrestling because some friends showed me. They started wrestling with me in middle school and I enjoyed it, so I joined the actual team,” Celestino Garcia (11) said.
Becoming the experienced wrestlers that they are now took work and dedication. Numerous wrestlers gained their skill by learning moves from more experienced wrestlers.
“Jordan Burroughs is a pretty big inspiration for me. I’ve been watching all his wrestling matches since I was little. My dad would always show them to me and I would watch his videos to learn techniques,” Gutierrez said.
However, the people who most heavily influenced the team are the coaches. They have helped better their athletes’ wrestling abilities by being role models through their own experiences with the sport.
“I’d say mainly just my coaches inspire me because hearing from what they’ve done when they were in high school, and just having them on the side, encouraging me, definitely feels good,” Jones said.
