As Central and Northwest took the mat on Wednesday, the Spartans knew they were in for a tough meet.

“The practices are always intense,” said senior Mike Taylor.

Although the Spartans won three of their duels, sophomore Jake Gajeski at 120, Tate Bennet at 126, and Mike Taylor at 132, it was not enough to defeat Northwest, winning more than ten duels.

Despite the defeat, many Spartans are expected to make it to state at the end of the season.

“I think that Jake [Gajweski], Tate [Bennet], [Chris] Stagl, [Alex] Mang, and myself will make it to state this year,” said Taylor.

Wrestlers enjoy getting the best of both worlds, having a team to help them stay motivated but getting to have individual chances to make it to final and state competitions.

“I like wrestling because I still get to be on a team but it’s an individual sport,” said Taylor.

Regardless of if a team wins a duel or a meet, there is always individual pride if a wrestler wins their duel, and that is what brought Taylor back after his injuries in past seasons.

“I damaged nerves in my neck my sophomore year,” said Taylor.

This weekend the Spartans will be down in Lee Summit with 24 other teams from across the state for the 19th annual Lee’s Summit Holiday Tournament. The team does not have a positive or negative expectation for the outcome of the tournament.

“We’re just going try our hardest,” said Taylor.

The Spartans may not be sure of the outcome of the season, but they certainly will be working to live up to the expectations that their fans have for them.