WJ wrestling has advanced to a solid 6-4 start on the season. Many WJ wrestlers have suffered severe injuries in matches and during practices. The ability to push past the injuries prove how much work Wildcat wrestlers put in day in and day out.
“It requires an individual to exert themselves at 100% for 6:00 plus minutes and there are no breaks. The opposition is trying to break you and vice versa, and nobody wants to be beaten,” senior captain Garrett Brown said.
The wrestling team is full of stars in all weight classes.
“Being a wrestler at Walter Johnson feels like being a member of a big family. We all know each other on a personal level and have many friends on the team,” senior captain Alex Ghaffari said.
Ghaffari is 10-0 in the county and a captain this season and is having one of the most impressive seasons ever by a varsity Walter Johnson wrestler.
“Being a captain of the WJ wrestling team requires an immense amount of leadership and taught me how to be a better person because I have to be a role model for my teammates,” Brown said.
Brown has also been nothing but elite for this WJ squad as he has an astounding 18-3 total record this season.
Having two of the best wrestlers be captains creates a great atmosphere for all the players on the team. The younger and less experienced wrestlers love having these two great captains as role models.
“It feels awesome being a leader of such a strong team. I love watching all of my teammates work hard and being able to give them good advice to win their fights,” Ghaffari said.
Wins and losses, this group will always fight and put their best foot forward day in day out in practice and in matches.
These wrestlers have a strong feeling for this sport with a passion and would never give it up for anything. Even through all the pain they go through participating in this gruesome sport they all love every second of it.
“The practices can be hell and competition is tough not only physically but mentally. This ‘insanity’ that comes to define wrestling has made me fall in love with it, and I would never replace it given the chance,” Brown said.
Dealing with challenges outside of the sport itself makes wrestling even harder for WJ athletes.
“We have to put in so much time while we’re focusing on school while constantly hungry and dehydrated and also having to fight your own friends to keep a varsity spot,” Ghaffari said .
Many juniors and athletes on the JV team love the competition and the opportunity to earn varsity spots.
“I had to work my way up throughout the season, but I ended up defeating my teammate to get on varsity. I was very proud of this and we all love the opportunities we have to improve our spots on the team as the season goes on,” junior Rayyan Él-Ghandour said .
Él-Ghandour sits at 4-0 as a varsity wrestler since he made the change.
As WJ currently sits with a winning record, they look to continue staying in the plus column as the season finishes up and playoffs roll around.
