As the winter sports season quickly approaches, the Cape Coral High School boys wrestling team is gearing up for another great season.
In the 2022-2023 competitive year, the team was able to bring home many individual titles, as well as team titles in matches. However, unfortunately, going into the new season they have lost a large number of very valuable wrestlers.
Coach Trevor Elliott said, ”This team is young but they are focused. Teams like this can make huge gains in such a short time and I expect that this team will do just that.”
With a large number of underclassmen coming onto the team, preseason has become more important than ever and they have focused on really building up as the season progresses both mentally and physically.
“Our team this year is really young with a lot of talent; they just have to learn the sport,” said senior Judd Cole. Being a senior and veteran on the team, it is important for Cole to really step into the leadership role that he deserves and lead the way for the year.
Regardless of the young talent, the work ethic has been very promising from all members of the 2023-2024 roster.
“Most of the new teammates from this year want to become the best version of themselves so they stay competitive,” stated junior Isaac Towenko.
Wrestling is an independent sport and it is very reliant on how each individual athlete performs every time they step foot on the mat.
Being so new to the sport, for some team members, it is going to become very important and make sure that team morale and individual confidence stay at their highest point.
“I’m hoping that they gain confidence quickly and that they start to see the payoff from the hard work they are putting in daily,” said Elliott.
As the season kicks off with Wrestling at Lemon Bay, the team is able to get an idea as to where they are at and can only go up from there.
With Cole having an impressive showing at 5-0 and the rest of the team going out there and giving it their all, the Seahawks can now truly focus on what they need to do better individually to help out the team placement.
Towenko said, “ I went up against a person who wrestles at a higher level than me so I was able to see how much more work I have to put in to be the best wrestler that I can become.”
Once these athletes make improvements within themselves, they can turn their attention towards bettering the team and being a good support system for those who need it.
Not only can these improvements be made physically, but in the mental aspect of wrestling as well. Cole does this by having a constant reminder within himself that, “i’m one of the best wrestlers in the state.”
Every day that the season goes on, the team is one step closer to the ultimate goal and Elliott clarifies, “I will pace them through the end of the season and taper down just before the post season so they are at their optimum level.”
