On Saturday, December 7th, the boy’s wrestling team competed in the York tournament to kick off the season. There they showed off the months of hard work each wrestler put in during the offseason in order to improve their skills. Lots of wrestlers for the team were able to fight their way up to a top six placement, and some were able to place top four. There were six different states competing at this meet.
Overall, Westside as a team placed 8th. This placement shows growth, and also that there is room for improvement as the season progresses. Some of the top placers for Westside included Mason Bruber finishing third at 106, John Packett finishing fourth at 126, Charlie Hall finishing 2nd at 132, Chase Myers finishing 6th at 165, and Tripp Taylor finishing 6th as well at 190. With so many people finishing top 6 at various weights, the team is very well rounded, which should help them consistently finish relatively high as a team.
Mason Bruber is competing as one of the few freshmen on the varsity roster. Bruber showcased skill, determination, and hard work throughout the meet. He pinned three of his four opponents, including pinning his final opponent in under 30 seconds to secure his 3rd place victory.
Bruber spoke on how it felt to finish 3rd in his first ever high school meet, and how it motivates him for future meets.
“It felt good, and I feel I competed very well for it being my first high school tournament.” Bruber said. “But I also know that I have potential to finish higher, so this motivated me to just keep working harder in practice.”
Bruber also touched on what keeps him focused in between matches during long tournaments like York.
“Mainly just talking with my friends, as it gives me something to do but doesn’t distract me completely from wrestling.” Bruber said. “Also listening to my music, because that can help me really focus on just wrestling before matches.”
Bruber was the second highest placing wrestler for the team, only behind sophomore Charlie Hall, who finished second in the meet. With more younger wrestlers emerging as varsity wrestlers for the team, it is clear that the coaches are doing something right when it comes to helping younger wrestlers.
Compared to last season, a lot more wrestlers placed for the team at the York meet. As the season goes on, they hope to continue to improve and gain experience, which will help them continue to place high and help the team improve its standings.
Head coach Michael Jernigan discussed before the meet what his plan was for who was going to be wrestling at the meet on varsity.
“We’re gonna take the guys that are ready. The guys that have done the things that I’ve asked them to do are going to be the guys that go and wrestle varsity.” Jernigan said. “This is a long season, and we don’t need newer guys getting frustrated, and getting behind the eight-ball with a terrible record, and getting a low seed and facing off against the best wrestlers in the first round every meet.”
Jernigan is putting an emphasis on making sure to not rush the newer wrestlers into varsity, as that can cause them to fall behind in seedings, and putting them at a disadvantage every meet. Letting them wrestle JV to begin with can help boost their confidence and help them gain more experience, to ensure that they are ready to compete at the varsity level.
Like Jernigan said, it’s a very long season. Developing younger wrestlers is vital for them becoming great varsity wrestlers. As the season progresses, Jernigan says he will work more younger wrestlers into the lineup if he feels they are ready. But for now, he wants most of them to continue to improve and gain in-match experience by competing in JV meets first.
The next meet the Warriors will compete in is the Council Bluffs Classic at the Mid America Center. This meet will take place on Friday, Dec. 13th, and Saturday, Dec. 14th, as it will be a two day long meet. This will be a bigger tournament compared to York, as there will be schools from across six different states. With many more teams, this will be a bigger challenge for the Warriors.
