Despite the thundering cheers from the surrounding crowd, the only sound sophomore Harris Masson could hear was the heavy sound of his racing breath. His singlet, painted with various hues of white and navy, perfected matched the headgear encasing his ears. With a faint smirk, he slowly spread his legs and lowered himself into a hunch. His eyes never once strayed from his opponent, a larger boy with an confidant grin. From the pits of his stomach, bubbled an overwhelming surge of excitement. The whistle blew out a high pitch screech, and the pair of boys immediately began their endless struggle.

“I practiced my hardest outside and during school in order to prepare for state,” said Masson.

After winning district and regionals, the Tompkins wrestling team was invited to participate in a state competition at the Berry Center, a sports complex in Cypress. In order to prepare for their upcoming meet, the team arrived to school before sunrise and practiced five days a week.

One of the sophomore members of the wrestling team, Cole Minnick, recalls how he and his fellow teammates would utilize not only weights, but a series of running workouts to maintain their weight. The team even used a variety of different kinds of food to move or stay in their weight class. Despite the team’s unexpected loss at state, they continue to improve for next year’s season.

“A part of my soul was crushed when I learned we lost. However, I have already started mental, physical and spiritual rehabilitation in order to gain a better mindset for next year,” said Minnick.

The girls’ wrestling team scored well at district and regionals, but did not place at state. However, this year marked an important milestone for the girls’ wrestling team. Sophomore Nicole Blinn, who has only wrestled for one year, was the only girl out of the five members of the team to receive an invitation to state. She is also the second girl ever in Tompkins’ wrestling history to attend such a competition.

“I was able to improve through the support of my teammates and hard work,” said Blinn.