The Wolfpack Wrestling team competed in wrestling regionals on Saturday, Feb 8.

The whole season had led up to the next few matches for these wrestlers. It’s natural to have nerves, but how they are treated differs from wrestler to wrestler. “I definitely do treat it as any other match. Overthinking could cause mistakes which could cost a person a match. My mindset going into a match is thinking about what moves I could perform on my opponent and how I could win.” Michael Valdez, a senior, said.

Valdez fought in the 215-pound weight class which had a two-pound allowance. He was unranked and ended up matching up against the top-ranked wrestler in his match. He ended up placing third in the meet.

This Saturday, the CIF championships will take place. It is the last tournament for some wrestlers unless they are able to qualify for state. “I’ve been working this whole season, and all that hard work and all those practices will not be for nothing. I need to perform and leave it all out there. Win or lose, it’s my last year, and I just want to leave everything on the mat,” Isael Perez, a senior, said. Perez fought in the 167-pound weight class and hopes to see success this coming Saturday.

There is hope that our Wolfpack wrestlers could bring back a state title or a medal. This does not come without its struggles during the year. Having to maintain, cut, or gain weight and deal with mental and physical aspects is one of the most difficult challenges of any sport.

“My biggest challenge was maintaining motivation. Wrestling is an extremely demanding sport, so I was feeling burnt out and thinking of quitting. My coaches and teammates really motivated me to stay and continue pushing through. Another thing that really motivated me was the feeling of winning after a match.” Alexa Godoy, a senior, said.

The Wolfpack wrestlers are prepared for their next match and whatever challenges they face with it.