On a day in which the team needed a bounce-back win from their recent three-game winning streak-ending loss to Northwest, the Wildcats responded with a dominant win over Northwood Gladiators 77-6. This was an important matchup not just because the postseason is looming, but also because the team needs to continue its momentum heading into a big matchup this weekend.
“I think this was due to the momentum-based nature of the sport. Once our team starts winning a few matches, the morale really starts to pick up and people go out onto the mats with more confidence which obviously helps their performance,” junior Sawyer Chism said.
The Wildcats got off to a great start in the match, winning the first 66 points. After having to forfeit the 285-pound weight class, WJ responded by winning the last two weight classes. The team was one weight class win away from a perfect score. It would have been their second win in which they shut out the other team. The first occurrence of it this season was in the opening match of the season against John F. Kennedy High School where they won 78-0.
“We came in and knew we had to handle business as usual. I started off the night aggressively with a win and that energy definitely radiated to the rest of the guys and the energy was there the whole time. We always hype each other up and are full of energy. We have all gotten very consistent and confident in our ability to wrestle and win,” junior Zachary Morales said.
This was the sixth and final home match for the wrestling team in the regular season, giving themselves a 5-1 home record. The only blemish on the Wildcats’ home record comes at the hand of an unbeaten Northwest team.
The team is currently 7-5 overall this season with wins in four out of the last five matches. The record looks even more impressive when considering the Wildcats’ tough schedule.
“We have been to some hard tournaments and duals this year facing a lot of really good teams from the county and state. We have looked at our matches and saw what we can do better and it has been paying off. We have been wrestling harder and harder every day and making each practice and match count. We know we can beat these teams but we gotta fight hard and wrestle how we have been all year,” Morales said.
The team has its final regular season matchup on Saturday against BCC and Whitman in what is called the Battle of Bethesda. WJ is the current holder of the cup, having beaten both BCC and Whitman last year. This will bring added pressure into the matchup and will put a target on the Wildcats’ back.
This would be a big win for us, we beat both teams last year in the Battle for Bethesda and we know they both want the win, so this would be pretty big for the current team to win.
— Sawyer Chism
To prepare for the match, the team is continuing to focus on one weight class at a time and not letting losses affect their confidence.
“We have been focusing on keeping team morale up even if a couple of people lose their matches during a meet,” sophomore Hudson Barrett said.
Alongside the rivalry between the schools, the match also holds big playoff-seeding implications. BCC comes in with a 6-5 record and Whitman currently holds a 4-5 record.
“With regional duals coming up, a win would give us a high seed and high confidence. It would also show we deserve respect in the county and are here to stay and never give up,” Morales said.
The team urges everyone to come and cheer for the Wildcats at the Battle of Bethesda. The match takes place at BCC High School, starting at 1 p.m.
