On Thursday night, January 18, the Whitewater Wrestling Team hosted the Jefferson Eagles in a full night of wrestling, also honoring seniors and parents. The night kicked off with a whopping 38 JV matches, allowing for many wrestlers to have the opportunity to compete in front of their family and friends. Upon completion of the JV matches, 55+ wrestlers and managers recognized their parents, thanking them for their support over the course of the last 8 weeks and continued support for the weeks ahead.
Coach Schimming then recognized the 17 seniors that are involved in the program: three managers - Mackenzie Schimming, Leah Newmann and Adrea Alcala and 14 wrestlers - Jason Villegas, Odair Porras, JJ Gonzalez, Nate Black, Avery Janovec, Sebastian Cuellar, Yovanni Rojas-Reyes, Jesus Barajas, Payton Lyon, Ethan Barels, Lauren Buehler, Giulia Ristagno, and Myia Cobbs. These students have been involved in wrestling since middle school, or for some, only this year. Thank you for your efforts in making coaching an enjoyable time for the coaches!
After all of the recognitions, the varsity competition got underway with our dual meet against Jefferson. The team wrestled very well. After 7 matches, the team was still in a close dual, up 24-18, with JJ Gonzalez (157), Sebastian Cuellar (165), Payton Lyon (190), and Vicente (Junior) Soto (HWT) all winning by pin. The team then took a brief intermission so the pom squad could do a performance for the crowd; it was an outstanding performance and enjoyed by the crowd. Once wrestling action began again, the Whippets dominated the second half, winning all but one of the final 7 matches to close out the victory 55-24. Those winning by pins in the final 6 were Connor Friend (132), Curtis Rossmiller (138), and Odair Porras (150). Winning by a technical fall (15 points) were Jasen Porras (113) and Jarvis Porcaro (120).
The win on the evening pushed the Whippets record to 8-1 overall and 4-0 in the Valley Division of the Rock Valley Conference, thus securing the championship for the Valley Division.
Coach Schimming was very impressed with the performance of all students involved during the events. Great job to all!