Wrestling began the season with a 43-35 victory against Blair Dec. 5. Wins came from wrestlers in every weight group.

“Everyone preformed really well,” Groce said. “The weight groups from 145 pounds and up did not give up one loss.”

In their match against Wootton Dec. 12, the Bulldogs wrestled hard but ended in a defeat, 39 to 28. Juniors Zach Raizon, Keita, Sutton and freshman Mitch Block all won their matches.

“It was a lot closer than we thought it would be,” Raizon said. “We wrestled pretty tough.”

During the off-season, many of the wrestlers joined club teams to stay in shape. One of the most popular programs was Bad Karma.

According to junior captain Zach Raizon, Bad Karma consists mostly of “practices where you learn new techniques,” but they also enable students to compete in several tournaments.

Despite having a difficult schedule, the team remains positive about this season.

“We’re expected to be one of the better teams in the county,” sophomore Giulian Groce said. “But we have a tough schedule. WJ and Wooton are going to be good competition.”

With the bulk of the team in their sophomore and junior year, the middleweight classes are the strongest. In addition, junior Hunter Sutton carries state titles from his freshman and sophomore seasons.

“We all work really hard and have become good friends, so we have a lot of fun, too,” Raizon said. “Our middleweights are excellent, and of course junior Hunter Sutton is the best in the state.”

Although the middleweight classes are strong, there are some holes in the lineup for the lower weight groups.

According to Groce, there is an occasional “lack of discipline.”

“It is up to the team as a whole to make sure that we can stay focused,” Raizon said. “Once everyone sees that we have the potential to go far, we will start to come together.”

Wrestling continues to work hard in preparation for their next match at Whitman, Dec. 20.