As the wrestling season approaches, the team has many goals for the upcoming season in order to succeed individually and as a team.
Last year, the dual team did not go far, and they were not very close to qualifying for state, but this year hopes are high the whole team will have a successful season. They had one person, senior Eli Loyd, qualify for individual state and win, while the others fought hard.
Junior Sid Sharma competed at the varsity level for the first time last year, which pushed him harder as a varsity athlete. Although he was challenged throughout his junior year on varsity, he still has goals for the new season. “I’m hoping to win more matches this year, out of the 50 matches throughout the season,” he said.
Sharma states the goal of the team is to change the culture of wrestling at Pleasant Valley; they must practice hard out of season to achieve this. “We put in a lot of work in the offseason by going to elite camps and open mats,” he said.
Varsity wrestling coach Jacob Larsen is always proud of his team, but he is never fully satisfied with their performance. He isn’t disappointed but instead believes they can achieve more success. He is always proud of his team’s accomplishments and their worth ethic, but he believes they have the ability to make it to team state and place higher at their tournaments.
Larsen already has many goals planned out for this season: placing top five at every tournament, taking as many athletes to individual state, placing top three in districts and even making it to team state. Chloe Clemons came to PV this year, and she will definitely contribute to the success of the team.
As a coach, Larsen wants to do more individual coaching to help his athletes improve as a wrestler. With the addition of a new wrestling room, new implementations for changes in the coaching of JV and varsity will become easier. “Now JV can practice together, while varsity goes at their own pace,” he said.
With their season approaching soon, Larsen and the team are ready to prove they are ready to show their talents and take on their goals in order for a successful season.
