The true fight in wrestling is mind over matter. A hard-fought match can come to an end in a split second. It’s not just about skill, it’s about tenacity and preparation.

“[Winning] feels amazing. It’s like getting the best Christmas gift. It’s you against someone else and it’s the ultimate victory. It’s just awesome,” senior Christian Van Matre said.

South’s wrestling team is expecting a winning season and is aiming for several state qualifiers. The team wants to come out on top this year, and is working hard to prove themselves.

“I think we could be really good, we just actually need to do it and not just talk about it,” senior Deaven Jensen said.

The team is hopeful and confident. They support each other and are aiming for a better season than last year’s 7-7 finish.

“We treat each other like family because we can get on each other when we’re lazy and not hurt [each others’] feelings,” Van Matre said.

Jensen, Van Matre, and the team’s other seniors, Danny Buenger, Tre Humphrey, Devon Lincoln and Brendan Plowright show leadership both on and off the mats. They set examples and when necessary, verbally direct their teammates.

“[The seniors] set a good example. They work really hard and they want to do good this year so it makes you wanna do good this year,” junior Brandon Jenkins said.

Even with the seniors leading the way, the team is composed of many younger and newer wrestlers, which requires coaches to adjust during the season.

“We usually start them off with the basics and then, as it progresses through the year, we’ll start mixing them in with the varsity guys, depending on how they’re doing,” assistant coach Walt Humphrey said.

The transition from junior-varsity to varsity isn’t always an easy one.

“JV was very easy. You basically wrestle a bunch of amateur guys. Varsity is ten times harder, it just gives you a bigger challenge in life,” senior Brendan Plowright said. “It make me a better wrestler. There’s bigger guys and stronger guys.”

The team looks highly upon Coach Rios for guidance, but he’s not your typical coach. Without yelling and screaming he still motivates the team to always be better.

“Really he’s kind of quiet, he doesn’t let us be lazy but he never really yells,” Van Matre said. “The trust he puts in us makes us want to be better and the kindness he shows, it’s what motivates us. You want to win for someone that nice that really cares about you that much.”

After a  4-3 start to the season,  the team will still face many strong competitors.

“Shawnee Mission East is supposed to be good. Nobody likes East so I’m sure we’ll beat ‘em. And Shawnee Mission Northwest is actually supposed to be really good this year too,” Jensen said.

To compete with its opponents, the team will have to overcome many challenges. They struggle with consistency at practice, cutting weight, and seriousness on the mats. They also have to confront self doubt and deal with lowered confidence after a loss.

“Right now I think a lot of people feel bad if they lost their first match, but as a team we wanna win, we don’t wanna lose ever so I’d say we’re very competitive,” Van Matre said.

Even with the new and younger wrestlers, the team has high hopes for the season.

“Nobody wants to lose, everybody’s got a good positive mind set. Everybody’s ready to win,” Jensen said.

With Winter Break approaching, the team won’t get much of a break. They’ll continue to diet, run and lift weights off the mats.

Senior Tre Humphrey said, “Right after break I think we might start out a little slow, but after a week or so we’ll pick it back up.”

By Casey Lee