Escape, Reverse, Take-down

Coach Jesse and the SDHS wrestling team of about 25 girls recently went and took on Northview High School. For the past two years, this powerhouse of a school has been hard to beat, but the Lady Saints were ready for it. As the matches began, wrestler after wrestler walked up to the mat to take their shot at beating their opponent.

Down by six points, the Saints were down to one wrestler, Jamileh Munoz. The Saints would need a pin to tie. The atmosphere was tense and the pressure was high, but this Saint wasn’t ready to go down without a fight.

And Munoz did it, pinning her last opponent for the tie. The title of Co-League Champions was handed to the Saints all thanks to Munoz. After the match, she said that ¨hard work, heat conditioning, and practice everyday¨ is what made this all possible. She also said that anyone is able to join wrestling, but it’s different than what people think.

Most people do not know what it takes to be a wrestler, it’s more than what most people see. On top of the hard practices every day from 5 pm to 7 pm and conditioning in the heat, wrestlers are required to diet days before every match. They lose and gain weight every week sometimes as much as 15 pounds at a time. That also does not include the day of the match. On the day of the match if they are overweight they are forced to run in their sweatsuits to loss the last amount of weight and then wrestle their match.

To be a wrestler it takes a lot of physical strength, but it also takes a lot of mental strength as well. They will push their bodies to the breaking point and some won’t make it. Some will get hurt and others aren’t fit for it, but every drop of sweat and tears has gone directly to making them the people they are… League Champions and beautiful people.