Ava Strickland

On Dec.8, Ava Strickland (12) brings her opponent down during her match. “It [the match] was very exciting. I got seventh place, but I was wrestling in the 140 weight when I usually wrestle in the 145 class,” Strickland said. Her goal for her senior season was to make it to the podium at least once.

This year, wrestling has been working hard to prepare for their 2023-2024 season. With the expansion of the teams, they are ready to be even more competitive. 

“The size of the team has grown a lot compared to previous years. This makes us competitive as a team in tournaments, as well as duals,” coach Devonte Shivers. 

The girls team started their season off by winning first place on Dec. 8 for the first time in high school girls wrestling. 

“I think the tournament was a good experience for us. There were not that many teams there, but we still got first place,” Ava Strickland (12) said. “It was fun. I only won one match, but I still really enjoyed it.”

Winning matches can be difficult, especially when you are getting put into a different weight class than usual. 

“They usually bump me up to 145, so that I don’t have to cut too much weight, but if I am naturally underweight one day, they will switch me to 140,” Strickland said, “so that’s what happened with the tournament.”

Cutting weight can be difficult, but some wrestlers have found that it can be a simple process when you have the willingness to do it. 

“I had to cut down 15(lose 15 pounds). I was at 185 and that wasn’t bad. I would eat less, but it was pretty easy for me to drop,” Jacob Kohring (10) said. 

Cutting weight isn’t the only difficult aspect of this sport, but it is helpful when you have a coach who is preparing you for success along with helping you achieve your goals.

“Of course we want to win conference and qualify for state, but personal growth is my biggest goal for the young student-athletes,” Shivers said. “There are very few people that will work these athletes harder than me. They show up every day to push themselves a bit harder to be better than they were the day before.”