On January 31, the boys’ varsity wrestling team went to regionals and left with two champions. Seniors James Brouilette and Joseph Quirk won these titles and will move on to sectionals along with seniors Brock Wrede and Gavin Payne, junior Owen Dewey and sophomore Carlo Difalco.
“Those six guys have really carried us throughout the year,” head boys’ varsity wrestling coach Ashton Brown said.
According to Brown, the preparation he and the other coaches took leading up to this point involved lighter drilling, resting the injured wrestlers and more time at practice being spent on technique rather than going live.
Brouilette took his own precautions to stay after practices and work extra hard with the coaches to prepare accordingly. This paid off in the final round considering he won against a returning state qualifier.
Quirk has also been putting in the additional work at practice even while recovering from an injury. This effort was reflected when Quirk’s matches resulted in two tech falls and a pin in the final round.
Although this was a huge accomplishment, Quirk recognizes that the grind isn’t over yet.
“It’s not the end of the road. Still other goals we have to get to,” Quirk said.
The preparation going into sectionals will remain about the same for the team as they continue to hustle as they have all season. Sometimes they will watch matches of opponents to depict things to focus on, but they primarily focus on themselves and the work they’re putting in.
Brown is optimistic going into sectionals and is excited to see the six guys challenge themselves and put forth their best effort. Although he’s hoping to move on to state, Brown wants more than anything for the guys to compete the best they can.
“When the dust settles after 6 minutes and they don’t have enough points, so be it,” Brown said. “But I want them to keep chasing points and chasing growth.”
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