Cardinals boys and girls wrestling seniors looked back on their final home dual and looked forward to their final postseason after the teams took down Perry Lecompton Friday night.
It was both teams’ last home contest and the boys held their senior night recognition between the two duals.
The seniors reflected on their growth both physically and mentally over their wrestling careers.
“I’ve definitely grown a lot because I went from 90 pounds to this,” said senior Thomas Romero, who now wrestles in the 175 pounds weight class. “But I’m pretty excited, and coach has definitely helped a lot along the way.”
Senior Nate Reazin said he’s using the same moves he did when he started wrestling but has developed his skills over the past few years. Max Mitchell said he’s seen his character grow throughout his career. Fellow senior Alex Clobes agreed.
“Definitely grown in character,” Clobes said. “I mean, they’re always teaching us, you know, to work hard and all that. So, definitely glad I was able to grow that way as well.”
Clobes said he’s seen the group of seniors grow in lots of ways with their technique and skill. Reazin said getting to see his teammates grow and develop since they were young has been fun to watch.
“It’s insane because I’ve known most of these guys since, like, elementary school,” Reazin said.
The boys won 61-18, with five pins and two decision victories.
The senior girls wrestlers said they would miss the energy of the home matches but were excited for the postseason. They reflected on the way wrestling has helped them grow as individuals and as a team.
“It definitely is, like, a very tough mental sport,” senior Jordan Dempsey said. “I think since freshman year to now, I’ve kind of just, like, grown more as a person, confidently on and off the mat. And I think this sport helps a lot with, like, confidence boosts.”
Senior Madison Karten said the challenge of wrestling helped her grow mentally and physically as a person.
“In the wrestling room, it’s a really hard mental push,” Karten said.
The girls won 36-6 thanks to pins by Dempsey and fellow seniors Kyleigh Musick and Harper Andrews.
“I also love the energy that everyone brought,” Musick said. “Not just the girls, but the boys team too. Energy, it was great.”
Head coach Miles Cleveland said he is excited to see what the next stage of life will hold for the seniors.
“I’m happy for them,” he said. “They all have bright futures. I’m sad to see them all go. Their leadership will definitely be missed in the practice room and at the tournaments.”
Both teams will now look ahead to the post-season. Cleveland said he hopes as many players as possible qualify for state.
“A few of them are starting to hit their stride or have been the last couple of weeks,” Cleveland said. “Hopefully the rest of them kind of follow suit and we really hit our stride as a team come regional time.”
For Clobes, he wants to get to his highest level as a wrestler. But along the way, he hopes to enjoy every moment as he closes his career as a Cardinal.
“I’m just definitely thinking like, you know, to have fun, at least a little bit,” he said. “Because, you know, it is my final year.”
Reach reporter Cuyler Dunn at [email protected]
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