On and off the mat, wrestling is a physical and a mental game. 

“Wrestling is one of the hardest sports there is because you have to be disciplined in eating right and working out all the time,” senior co-captain, Dane Farris said. “You don’t have to do those things but if you don’t do them then you’re gonna lose.”

What differentiates wrestling from other sports is having weight class divisions. The National Federation of State High School Associations sets the weight classes ranging from 106 lb to the heavyweight division of up to 285 lb .   

Pre-season is a crucial period for the wrestlers to get back into shape and to make weight in their weight class.

“It’s a lot of getting into shape, a lot of running and a lot of cutting weight,” senior co-captain, Nico Coronel said. “It’s where you’re getting back into shape for wrestling and getting back into the wrestling mindset. You’re learning again how to deal with your nutrition, and you’re practicing again to deal with your weight and what type of food you are eating day to day.” 

Coronel explained that wrestlers who need to drop weight will work out in sweats and turn up the thermostat to induce the weight loss. For those needing to gain weight, they lift weights and increase protein intake. 

In other sports, athletes spend practice working on a certain move or play; whereas, wrestlers are moving the entire practice. 

“In wrestling it’s working out the whole time for two hours,” Coronel said. “There’s not much instruction, except for the less experienced wrestlers, but for the more experienced, they just work the entire time.” 

In order to excel and prepare, Farris admits he practices a lot and watches what he eats. 

“A lot of it’s mental, and so I always just gotta stay disciplined and I always try to wrestle in the right frame of my mind,” Farris said. 

A basic move in wrestling known as pinning, can either be rewarding or humiliating depending on if you’re the one pinning or being pinned. 

“It’s a great feeling,” Farris said. “I don’t like much about wrestling, as in practices and making weight, but winning makes it worth it, so my pinning someone is what makes it for me.” 

Nico Coronel goes on to say the hardest part in wrestling for him is learning to be confident in himself.

“It was a problem for me for a while,” Coronel said. “My confidence dropped and you could tell. I was not being aggressive, I was staying back, not doing much. But as soon as I started getting more wins under my belt, I came out on the wrestling mat at wrestling a lot more forward and going for the takedowns.” 

“Wrestling has changed me. I went from a scrawny kid who didn’t have much confidence to being more sure of myself and it made me Act with more charisma. It has changed me for the better. I’ve learned more respect for people, for myself, and it helped me to deal with my own problems in a good way.”