“I was really impressed,” said junior Bruno Haggard, who attended the event with his class. “It was a cool experience to be able to see the match in school.”
But the unique school setting serves as much more than a unique venue. The event allowed students to see a real wrestling competition, which are usually lacking student attendance.
It’s great publicity for our sport,” wrestling coach Ken Jackson said. “ Sometimes kids come by and are super interested. Having the competition during school gives potential recruits a real close up of an experience they’ve never really had before.”
To the over 500 students that attended, McLean’s team did not disappoint, winning the dual 38-36 against their district opponent. The team powered through a series of injuries to starters from a variety of weight classes, with wrestlers called up from JV putting on strong showings.
“A big thing about our team is the next man up mentality we hold in high regard,” coach Chris Hunter said. “ Our guys really demonstrated that today. Underclassmen shined, our seniors did well, it was a good team effort.”
The massive pressure of performing at the highest level in front of friends and classmates is a daunting prospect, and compared to normal wrestling dual meets held out of school, this is a singular event for wrestlers on the team.
“Being able to wrestle and demonstrate skill in front of my peers is something remarkable,” junior wrestler Charlie Garno said.
Even with the large crowd, the defending district champions still got down to business, with several wrestlers winning in dominant fashion against a strong Yorktown team that featured several state placers.
“They’ve been working hard since the beginning of the season,” Hunter said. “Improvement has been made each day and each week, and I’m very proud of how they came together as a team and did not stop fighting each and every match.”
This victory was not only a huge morale boost for a McLean team that has struggled with injuries all season. Its status as a district victory will help them going forwards, aiding their attempts to maintain their championship status.
“This was a district match, so it counted towards the seeding for the district tournament,” Hunter said. “We will build on this victory, and every kid will learn, whether they won or lost, something from their match that will help them in their next match. That’s what the whole goal is, to get better.”