Great Results for AAHS Wrestlers
Over the weekend of December 6th and 7th, our Kadets performed at a wrestling tournament against various schools. Some of their fiercest competition included Pine Creek and Pueblo West. The tournament started at 9:00 a.m. and lasted all day Friday into Saturday.
Ben Self (weight class 195) and Justin Petrash (weight class heavyweight) were undefeated for the whole weekend. Other successful wrestlers included Tyler Hanenberg (weight class 132 ) with a record of 5-2, and Ben Markworth (weight class 106 ) with a record of 6-1.
Dillon Cea, a varsity wrestler at the weight class 120, also had a productive weekend wrestling against some of his competition for state. He finished with a record of 4-3; however, during the tournament, he wrestled the number three ranked wrestler in state. This was great practice for Dillon to see how he stacks up against his best competitors. He ended up losing the match, but only by three points. Dillon had wrestled this same wrestler last year, and was pinned by him. Wrestling him again and only losing by a couple of points is a huge improvement. Dillon credits his success to his mindset during wrestling matches. When asked about how he prepares for a match, Dillon said, “Before a tournament, I try to relax as much as I can mentally so I’m ready to give the match everything I have. Once I step onto the mat, I clear my mind, and try my hardest. Sometimes I come out on top, and other times I lose, but that drives me to be better for next week.” This shows the mindset of an improving wrestler headed to the top.
Another wrestler who did well was Ben Self. Not only did Ben finish the tournament undefeated, but also he finished with five pins. To help his mental game, Ben doesn’t find out whom he is supposed to wrestle until he sees them on the mat. This helps Ben not worry about how good his opponent is so he can focus on what he needs to do to win. Our Kadets have wrestling tournaments just about every weekend so don’t forget to cheer them on. Go Kadets!