On Jan. 8th, the Wakefield Warriors hosted the Liberty Tri-Dual, between the Herndon Hornets and the McLean Highlanders. This was the first time this season where McLean was able to compete in all weight classes.
“We had a lot of young wrestlers who showed up and did well. Overall the team [is] really starting to come together,” senior Maxwell Kusano said. “We’re starting to fill out all the weight classes, which is nice, because now we have somebody wrestling for every [weight class].”
The lights dimmed in the gym and a gradual spotlight shined onto the first two teams competing, the Warriors and the Hornets.
“Wrestling’s a tough sport. Being able to wrestle for six minutes is an exceptionally difficult task,” head coach Mike Herlands said. “It is mind numbingly strenuous to wrestle for six minutes. We spend a bunch of time conditioning and working on technique and skill.”
Wakefield took an early lead of 24 points to 12. Their matches proved not only their raw strength, but their technical prowess. This would prove to be only a hindrance later for McLean.
It was McLean’s turn to the mat, facing off against Herndon. First up was senior Spencer May-Stoffel, who came in with a fiery offensive. In a couple minutes, he dominated the mat, taking down his opponent. Wrestler after wrestler walked up to the mat, and McLean took the large 30-15 lead.
“Underclassmen like a couple of the younger wrestlers, like Ramazan and Miles, impressed me,” Kusano said. “They both did a lot better because they grew a lot. The most important thing about practice is just showing up every day and doing everything you can”
The Highlanders ended the match 54-26, squashing the Hornets in the process.
“We showed a lot of effort and pushed ourselves,” sophomore Samuel Emory said. “In the next practices, we will work on standups, [because] we need to work on escaping [disadvantageous] positions.”
The gym was silent except for the two coaches yelling at the wrestlers on the mat to use different tactics to use to gain the upperhand. The loud buzzer broke the tension as Emory and his opponent faced off again, this time in neutral position — where neither side was willing to give in.
“I saw we had some really good team spirit. The entire team was pretty electric,” Kusano said. “We supported everybody on the mat, and I thought that was helpful to [win].”
McLean stayed focused throughout the entire match, never once losing focus. The only thing that breaks that mental state is the sound of the referee’s whistle.
“The mentality when wrestlers are in the circle is that whatever happens in that circle is on them,” Herlands said. “It’s one-on-one combat, you have to focus.”
The next match was against Wakefield. Similarly, the Highlander wrestlers dominated the mat. McLean took an early 24-6 lead as the cheers from the sidelines grew. Every pindown called for an eruption of cheers from the team, and every falter grew cheers from Wakefield.
The Highlanders closed out the match 48-18. McLean crushed their competition at their first district dual. Their next district dual is this Saturday at Freedom High School.
“The best thing about wrestling is you walk on the mat, two men enter, one man leaves. You can’t pause or take a time out,” Herlands said. “At the end of the day, that’s all you. You go on the mat and focus on your opponent, go as hard as you can for six minutes.”
