The boys varsity wrestling team is off to a great start this season. Under the leadership of coaches Mike Frye, Drew Brown, and Dylan Wajda, along with captain Michael Stone, the future for this team is bright. The team has already won several duel matches against tough opponents.

This past weekend, the team competed in the Wildcat Invitational Wrestling Tournament at Woodmont High School. Senior Michael Stone finished first in his weight class for the second consecutive year. Alex Brown finished third in his weight class. Stone has an overall record of 11-1 this season, and Brown has a record of 11-3 this season.

The team’s success in the Wildcat Invitational exhibits the their great potential for the remainder of the season. According to Stone, the only senior, “the team is young, but we have a lot of raw talent and room for improvement.” The wrestling team has been growing across the board in recent years, and with twenty boys competing on the JV team this year, Stone has “a lot of hope for the future.”

Stone described a favorite wrestling team tradition done before each meet that tends to bring the boys good luck on the mat. Everyone on the team randomly picks an animal cracker, and Stone interprets the animal cracker and what it will mean for the boy during the meet. “For example, if someone picks a camel, an animal that can survive for long periods with little water, then come the third period when everyone else is tired, that person will still have the energy to endure, which is important because wrestling is an endurance sport. Or, if someone picks a kangaroo, that person will be hopping around and light on their feet, and therefore hard to keep down.” Stone said his personal favorite animal cracker to pick is the sheep, which means “you will be baaaaad-ass.”

As the season continues, the wrestlers hope to continue to gain experience and hopefully win some duel meets. As a personal goal, Stone hopes to win county and state again.

The wrestling team has another tournament this weekend at Hillcrest, along with the West Oak Invitational on January 10th at West Oak. The boys are hoping to get lots of support for these tournaments.