Varsity:
Here at OHS, boys wrestling is considered one of the most challenging sports the school has to offer. It differs from other sports, as it is one student competing against another in a physical match to earn victory points, whether it’s holds, throws, or takedowns.
Although wrestling requires immense skill and training, it has many benefits for students who want to join. For example, it pushes athletes out of their comfort zones and it teaches them to be more independent and compete without a team.
“It’s definitely the toughest sport that is offered anywhere,” said Tom DeVito, boy’s wrestling team coach. “It’s you versus someone else, it’s one-on-one, you can’t blame anyone else, it’s just you.”
Just like any sport at OHS, students need acceptable grades to play. This can be difficult for some, as students have to find time for work, homework, and practice/matches. However, this further benefits the students by showing them real responsibility and helping them to prepare for life after high school.
“You have to be passing all your classes, you can’t be skipping classes, and you just have to come in with a good mindset. You can get kicked off the team for doing stupid stuff,” said Preston Deal, senior.
Varsity is generally more intense than JV, as many of the players are larger and more skilled when it comes to winning matches.“Varsity is a lot more intense because you’re dealing with juniors and seniors, grown men that are wrestling instead of freshman and sophomores,” DeVito said. “There’s a lot more nuance to it because it’s always an ebb and a flow. You’ve got much stronger kids that you have to go up against, and they’re not as quick of matches.”
JV:
A key factor in being on the wrestling team is learning not to quit, even when it seems hard. This can cause mental blocks that are challenging to overcome. In order to combat these mental struggles, wrestlers have to remind themselves that they aren’t going to be perfect in every match.
“The big thing when it comes to motivation is just letting them know that, win, lose, or draw, we care about them,” Devito said. “We care about their effort more than anything, and to be a champ at wrestling, you’re a complete monster on the map. To be good at this sport, it means you’re one impressive human being.”
In order to be good at wrestling, athletes also have to work out regularly and practice.
“We practice a lot, we practice five days a week, usually; after school, we wrestle each other, land new moves, and we condition very hard,” said Dominic Sorrento, sophomore.
Overall, wrestling is a very beneficial sport for students looking to explore their opportunities at school and learn about getting through challenging moments and responsibility.
“Come out, try it out and even if it’s tough, don’t quit,” DeVito said.
