Winter sports have officially arrived. For most people, that means coats and hats, but for the wrestling team, it means hitting the mats harder than ever and starting the season off strong! 

    “I am extremely excited for the season starting,” Daniel Runion, a sophomore from Forsyth Tech Early College said. “I think my teammates and I are really ready to get things going.” 

    The team has been preparing since football was in season. The rigorous workouts begin at around 4:30 p.m. allowing the wrestlers to adequately prepare themselves for the matches to come. 

    “I feel pretty good about the season coming up,” Runion said. “I went from wrestling in the spring to going down to Georgia during this past summer and coming back for our fall workouts.”

    For some of the wrestling team, this is the start of a new chapter with new freshmen and also some new upperclassmen trying something new! Ahead of the winter competition season, there have been numerous hours put into their craft and unbreakable bonds have been created.    

    “This is my first year wrestling and it’s been a really welcoming experience so far,” Jayden Willis, a sophomore at R.J. Reynolds said. 

    While you would expect the physical demands of wrestling and football to be similar, many wrestlers who played football in the fall are finding that not to be the case. 

    “It’s very different,” Willis said. “You have to use your bodies in different ways. It’s difficult doing something you have never done before but your teammates make it easier.”

    Coming into this season, the girls wrestling team is working on continuing the surging success of the team from last year.

    “We went from having 5 girls last year to having around 14 girls this year,” junior Sidney Winkler said. “We all show effort and work with the guys to get stronger to be successful.”  

    Our lady wrestlers have consistently had top performances in their tournaments so far and there is no end in sight to their success. 

    “The girls team is now one of the teams at the top,” Winkler said. 

   Even through the success of the team, many wrestlers are after more than just the win.  

    “It’s fun having your hand raised but the best part is the time you spend with your teammates,” Runion said.

    As the wrestling season takes full swing expectations are higher than ever. The team will continue to strengthen their bonds through their hard work and dedication to their sport, while also having a blast pinning their opponents to the mat.