As the season came to the end, the wrestling team finished with the overall record of 3-7. The team had high hopes for states but only one athlete was able to make it to the top tier event. Senior Walter Lyons made states after winning his close match in counties.
One senior who has found himself close to states was senior Tony Hesseloff, “Senior year is an emotional year as it is the last opportunity to step out on the mat and wrestle. I couldn’t be happier with the way it went and I thank my coaches and teammates for getting me to my full potential by pushing me to my limits. I’m happy and confident enough to say that I left it all out on the mat,” he said.
Hesseloff did not have the opportunity to compete at states but had a strong final outing in his county events.
Lyons had  one of the most impressive years, as he was the only member of the team to make it to states. Rarely did he lose a match, let alone let his opponents score points on him. Lyons was unable to get a win in the state event.
“Senior year was a great year for me. It was a time in which I achieved a lot and was able to tap into my inner potential and achieve a lot of great things this year,” Lyons said. “With all the success I had this year, it was worth all the time and effort I put in practice and in my matches, which made it all worthwhile. I thank my coaches and teammates for pushing and helping throughout this process. I’m happy to say that I’m a Wootton wrestler.”
Junior Jake Warner felt that the team did not go as far as he liked and thought the season could have been better.“It was alright, definitely not as good as last year,” Warner said.
He was able to qualify for counties but fell short of states and did not get an invitation. He is one of the best wrestlers on the team and will return next year focused on the goal of making it to states.
“Although the team did not finish with a record that the athletes or coaches may have desired, I would still say that we had a successful season due to the great instruction of the coaching staff and dedication of every team member, leading the team to exciting victories and tremendous growth as a program over the course of just a year,” junior Vijay Dey said.
Dey also fell short of states but is already working on next year, when he hopes to make it to states for his senior season.
The boys look to make a big impact next year, as most of the team is returning to leave their mark for their senior season.

Grant Saylor

Staff Writer