Three student athletes placed in the top 16 in the state wrestling tournament. 

Freshman Braiden Weaver placed in fifth and has wrestled for 11 years. Even though he tried for first place, he is still happy with his accomplishment. 

“I was really nervous, but I just thought, whatever, I’m just a freshman. I’ll still have three more years, but I’m still going to try my best no matter what,” Weaver said. 

Weaver admits Joel Gilbert, along with other teammates, was a big help in his learning process. 

“Coach Gilbert helps me correct errors in my stance and other stuff like that. That really helped me become a better wrestler, and I appreciate him for that. Definitely my training partners [helped] too and my other training facilities. Luke [Sipes], [Caleb] Fasick and PJ [Philip Sarbo] definitely pushed me a lot too,” Weaver said.

Since he was 4 years old, Weaver has been working hard and always placed high in wrestling state championships. In order for him to get there, he takes steps to  prepare himself. 

“I keep practicing. I feel like that’s the biggest key, that and eating healthy before a match. I don’t want to feel bad during the match,” Weaver said.

Sophomore Lucas Sipes placed in seventh and has wrestled for 10 years. He is proud of placing in the top ten although he believed he could place top spot. 

“There’s a chip on my shoulder that keeps me working harder. I’m a little bit unsatisfied, still hungry, I want more. I’ve dealt with a lot of adversity this year coming off the shoulder injury, that’s not an excuse, but next year I’m looking to be on top, ” Sipes said.

To mentally prepare himself, Sipes tries to get more rest as well as stay off of his phone to avoid the social media stress. As well as giving himself reminders.

“I talk to my coaches a lot, reminding myself that I’m the best. I’m confident, keeping that confidence up late in the season is important. You want to feel fresh into the day, ready to go and not tired,” Sipes said.

When going to States, Sipes has placed at every age level. According to him, there is a big jump between middle school and high school wrestling.

 “I definitely thought I would be here. It’s definitely different from middle school, but I knew if I just kept working and I stayed consistent then I’d still be one of the best in high school,” Sipes said. 

According to senior Caleb Fasick, wrestling is a hard sport and sometimes you have to make sacrifices. Fasick placed top 16 and has been wrestling for seven years.  

“From eighth grade to my senior year I gave up all my other sports that I play. I used to be a three, four sport athlete, and I now just focus on wrestling all year round, pretty much nonstop,” Fasick said

Fasick made it to States his sophomore year as well. He believed he would have made it during his junior year, but he could not due to an injury. In order to continue making it to states Fasick has to mentally prepare himself. 

“It’s a tough atmosphere because we wrestle in this huge stadium, but I try to treat it like everything else, just like every other match,” Fasick said. 

The students agreed that the people who are most proud of them are their parents. The parents are proud to see the hard work and dedication from their kids pay off. 

“I am really proud of him and excited that all of his hard work and dedication over the years paid off,” Chris Fasick said. 

Sipes’ parents believe that he is very focused and deals with adversity well.

“I’m most proud of his hard work and dedication, not just in wrestling but in everything he does. He’s a grinder, he just keeps grinding. It’s really awesome to see a young man work so hard for his goals,” Anderea Sipes said. 

Weaver’s parents are proud of all the time and dedication he has put into wrestling.

“I am proud of all of his hard work and determination to get him to the states,” Crystal Weaver said.