Richard Eckley

Posing for the camera, seven varsity wrestling athletes show off their regional medals after earning a spot at the state tournament. They will all compete at state on Feb. 16-17 at the Berry Center in Cypress. “Our team as a whole is looking really good going to state,” Corley said. “We have quite a few athletes and I think we will have a couple state placers and even some state champions.” Used with permission from Coach Richard Eckley

The best wrestlers from across the state will gather at the Berry Center in Cypress, TX this weekend to compete for a spot on the podium at the State Championships.

Seven T-Wolves, along with Coach Richard Eckley, left to a DEN sendoff today. These athletes are seniors Tristan Fay and Rachel Corley, junior Max Brandt, sophomores Cade Haskins and Gavin Wood and freshmen Nathan Reilly and Jet Mentel. 

“Tournaments take a long time and typically you [compete] every hour or so,” Corley said. “Duals are really fun. They are really hyped up around the team and everyone is cheering for everybody. Every meet or tournament will go in weight order. I enjoy the competitiveness of meets like when you are warming up for a match, seeing your opponent and getting ready to wrestle them. Our team as a whole is looking really good going to state. We have quite a few athletes and I think we will have a couple state placers and even some state champions.”

During practice, the team focuses on conditioning their bodies and working on the drills they use in matches such as different pins, turns and takedowns. They also focus on live conditioning, where they wrestle each other to give them the most realistic match-like practice.

“For the bigger meets we have throughout the season, we’ll usually start the week off with harder practices,” Brandt said.  “Usually doing 30-45 minutes of live wrestling then some sprints for conditioning. Then towards the end of the week we tone it down a bit and start to do more drills and stretches to keep our bodies from getting too banged up so we can be at our best for that upcoming tournament.”

Since a new head coach came in this school year, the athletes have had to adjust to the new coaching style while also continuing to build their own team chemistry. According to Corley, the team has to just keep going and focus on the benefits the team has had with a new perspective and push forward for the goals they have as a team.

“I like how close knit our team is,” Corley said. “I made a lot of friends that I wouldn’t have met otherwise and we support each other in a lot of ways. We cheer for each other a lot, we like to coach each other. We will even go mat-side at tournaments and I have even won matches because of other people telling me what to do. Strengths of our team are how close we are together and we have to have a lot of trust in each other. It’s a really genuine environment to be in.”

The support of teammates has an impact on the performance of the team. As they prepare for the state tournament, the mindset and hard work each partner has put in to make all seven athletes better will come into play during their matches to come.

“My favorite thing about the team is the connections I’ve made,” senior David Postelnicu said. “I basically have another family away from home. I feel a lot of love from my wrestling family. I feel comfortable with the whole team to express myself and be myself everyday. Advice I would give people interested in wrestling is to give it a shot. You might be better than you think. It’s going to be hard but the reward is going to be worth it. Stick to your team, don’t distance yourself and build that family because they are going to get you places.