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     The Warren Central Wrestling team is off to a strong start, kicking off their season with a record of 7-1, only losing to the no. 1 wrestling team in the state, Cathedral.

     “We have a really strong and technical team. [We are working on] really just trying to get guys where we need them most,” senior Jarred Rowlett said. “There is nobody stopping us from becoming the 2018-2019 state champs.”

     To prepare for the season, the wrestlers conditioned and cut weight for their weight classes. Lately, the athletes have been at morning practices at least three times a week and have been working on being the first to score on the board in their individual matches. They all want to be able attack and score first so they do not get down on the scoreboard.

     “[We have been working on] mostly been working on getting to our base on the mat, then getting to our feet. That one point is essential when your tailing a good wrestler. [We want to] get the first take-down and not having to worry about catching back up later in the match. The whole team usually struggles there, but we are definitely improving,” Rowlett said.

     In the preseason, the Warriors competed at the John Hurrle Memorial Invitational at Arsenal Tech, placing first out of 26 teams, beating the runner-ups, Hamilton Southeastern, by more than 100 points. The team had 8 first place finishes overall.

     During the regular season, the wrestling team continued to dominate. So far, the team has defeated almost every team they have went against. When the team went against the North Central, the Panthers only managed to score 15 points compared to the Warriors’ 54. In the matchup against Greenfield Central, they beat their opponents 59-8. Against Lawrence North, they held the team 55-8. The only team that has bested the Warriors was the no. 1 team in the state, Cathedral. But even then, Cathedral only beat Warren Central by three points.

     “We are so dominant right now because we believe in each other and what we can accomplish when we work together as a team,” junior Brice Coleman said. “Together we are strong, but alone we are weak.”

     As a way to ensure that the team stays exceptional, the coaches of the team formed group of the wrestling leaders of the team called Warriors in Charge. This group meets once every two weeks to talk about how to make the team thrive and continue to do so in the future to earn their next state title.

     “Our varsity wrestlers have trained with the best coaches for so many years and now it is our time to prove ourselves after all the hard work we’ve put ourselves through,” junior Alise Terhune said. “Our coaching staff is a huge part of why we’re so successful.”