red devil wrestlemania by rachel dick
The Germantown High wrestling team may not be as widely recognized as the football and basketball teams, but that does not stop them from having their own victories, such as their most recent one against Bolton High. The team has had a winning streak that was only broken by a loss against Bartlett, something Coach Simpson accredited to the team’s talented group of seniors.
“We have a group of seniors that were juniors last year behind a lot of really good seniors, so they got to see what worked well in leadership positions and what didn’t,” Simpson said. “The group of seniors that we’ve got have all stepped up and are leading by example.
Despite what Simpson has called some “experience issues”, the team has won against a number of highly regarded schools, including Cordova, Arlington, Jonesboro, Searcy, and Bolton. As for the victory of Bartlett against the Red Devils, Simpson admitted that it should have been in the bag.
“We should have beaten Bartlett,” Simpson said. “But we’re going on to the next match.”
Some of the seniors are definitely enjoying their victories. Seniors Derrick Tucker and Sidney Blackwood III have equal enthusiasm for the sport and have no regrets about the sacrifices they have had to make this year in terms of time spent practicing.
“It’s fun; it’s a lot of sacrifice,” Tucker said. “It takes a lot of dedication to the sport if you want to get good at it."
Both seniors are considering wrestling on the college level, although a firm decision has not been made yet.
“I might wrestle in college if it helps me get a scholarship,” Blackwood said.
As for how the team will do in the coming matches or even next year, Simpson commented that it really is anybody’s ball game.
“I think it’s anybody’s shot that can get fourteen guys together and be ready to compete,” Simpson said.
“We have a group of seniors that were juniors last year behind a lot of really good seniors, so they got to see what worked well in leadership positions and what didn’t,” Simpson said. “The group of seniors that we’ve got have all stepped up and are leading by example.
Despite what Simpson has called some “experience issues”, the team has won against a number of highly regarded schools, including Cordova, Arlington, Jonesboro, Searcy, and Bolton. As for the victory of Bartlett against the Red Devils, Simpson admitted that it should have been in the bag.
“We should have beaten Bartlett,” Simpson said. “But we’re going on to the next match.”
Some of the seniors are definitely enjoying their victories. Seniors Derrick Tucker and Sidney Blackwood III have equal enthusiasm for the sport and have no regrets about the sacrifices they have had to make this year in terms of time spent practicing.
“It’s fun; it’s a lot of sacrifice,” Tucker said. “It takes a lot of dedication to the sport if you want to get good at it."
Both seniors are considering wrestling on the college level, although a firm decision has not been made yet.
“I might wrestle in college if it helps me get a scholarship,” Blackwood said.
As for how the team will do in the coming matches or even next year, Simpson commented that it really is anybody’s ball game.
“I think it’s anybody’s shot that can get fourteen guys together and be ready to compete,” Simpson said.