While the season continues, the OH boys and girls wrestling team is working hard to dominate the mat. With a suitable blend of upper and lower-classmen, this team has the potential to have a strong remainder of the season.
“As a team, we do a lot of running and a lot of conditioning. I feel like a lot of people don’t know that wrestling is all about being able to outlast each other and you’ll win,” senior wrestler Kiyah Chavez said.
The physical aspect of wrestling sometimes gets overlooked. However, mental and physical endurance is what can separate an athlete from being good to great.
“During practices, we do more mental practices when we’re just conditioning because we have to make sure we can handle being tired during a match,” said senior wrestler Harmony Evans.
The mental and physical preparation allows the wrestlers to be able to focus, become more competitive, and strategize even when they are tired in a match.
“Cutting weight has definitely been the hardest part physically but at the end of the day if you’re being disciplined everything else comes easy,” said senior wrestler Brayden Swanson.
Not only do these athletes have to push themselves through conditioning but they also have to learn how to motivate themselves on hard days.
“I’ve learned how to battle through adversity and to trust yourself because you’re battling through something no one else can really help you with,” said senior wrestler Brodie Slou.
This year specifically has been an important year for wrestling at OH. With the program including both girls and boys, the team has grown bigger and stronger.
“I feel like people don’t really think much of us because we’re girls and it’s considered a guys sport but girls wrestling is definitely more up and coming,” said Evans.
As the sport grows, it is clear to see that gender doesn’t define OH athletes as they continue to perform to their best abilities and create relationships that help push each other.
“We’re a pretty tight group and we’re always there for each other so if someone has a problem we’re all there to help,” said Slou.
The support from the rest of the team throughout the season can make or break an athlete’s performance.
“I feel like from our home meets the difference is that the girls are louder for each other and more supportive whether we win or lose,” said Evans.
Going into the season not many people had set expectations for the OH wrestling team, however, these athletes are excited to face some new challenges during the matches.
“He didn’t wrestle against me during our dual and he’s ranked 3rd in the state and I’m in the top 5 now so it’ll be a good match-up at regionals and sectionals,” Swanson said.
As the weeks go on, both the girl’s and boy’s teams have learned more about the sport of wrestling and the different skills they can use at the upcoming matches.
“We wrestled Andrew and in the dual team state they got I believe 3rd or 4th and we only lost to them by like 6 points which I’d say was our most important win,” said Chavez.
Although some of the matches have ended well for the OH wrestling team, not all athletes have had good runs.
Swanson said, “The most significant match for me didn’t end well, it was one of the biggest tournaments in Illinois and having around 3000 people watching me was a big moment”
These experiences teach athletes the importance of working together and staying focused even when things don’t go as planned. It shows determination to go to the next level.
“As a team I want to see as many of us go to state as possible and personally I’d love to place at state as my goal,” said Chavez.
We hope to see OH wrestling taking the IHSA state mat later this season and continuing to make history for our school.
Fantastic! I am so impressed!