Tuesday January 28, the varsity boy’s wrestling team competed in a home dual against Timberland. The score was close up to the very end, but the Spartans pulled ahead in the final matches to defeat the Wolves with a 39-36 win. 

Juniors Andrew Mirth, Khris Humes, and Kaden Hart competed hard to defend their team’s home territory and secure the win on Tuesday night. As the season is off to a less than perfect start, the boys are hoping this win serves as a reversal of the precedented course. 

With only a three point difference in the end, this was evidently a close dual. It really came down to the final matches, putting a lot of pressure on certain wrestlers. Mirth felt this pressure to prove himself as this is his first year on the varsity team. 

“Last night, whenever I won [it] was the last match… if i wouldn’t have won, our team wouldn’t have won. There was a lot of pressure, but it just added to the excitement [when I won],” Mirth said. 

In a dual this close, every match matters and Mirth wasn’t the only one feeling the pressure. Humes also competed and earned an essential win toward the end of the night. 

“It just feels good [to win],” Humes explained. 

For these boys, winning isn’t overly complex. They put in so much effort between conditioning, practices, cutting weight, etc., and the euphoria of winning makes it worth it. They are driven by ever-present notions of Spartan Pride. 

On a grander scheme, the team isn’t completely meeting the expectations it set for itself this season, making this win even more significant. However, this deviation from expectation is not negatively impacting their morale and motivation for the remainder of this year. 

“It hasn’t been as good as I hoped, but we have time to turn that around before districts. [I am] very excited for the rest of the season,” Hart said.

Between a ferocious determination, hard work, and lots of sprints, the boys wrestling team will continue to fight hard and honor the spartan name as they close out the season.