Wrestling is unlike most other high school sports. In other sports such as baseball or football, athletes succeed when the team wins as a whole. Obviously, there are key players on any team who score many of the team’s points or help ensure the team’s victory. In those other sports, however, they aren’t the only athlete on the field or court at that time, so they can pass the ball and depend on other teammates. In wrestling, the team wins and loses as a whole. They cheer on other teammates and encourage one another at their practices.

On the other hand, wrestlers step onto the mats alone. No matter how much encouragement their teammates and fans give to them, a victory depends on how one man (or woman) does and whether or not he or she is a “better” wrestler than his or her opponent. At the end of the match, when the handshaking is over, one wrestler’s hand will be raised in victory and the other’s hand won’t.

This fact weighs down on the shoulders of many of the FHS wrestlers. It’s easy for athletes on other teams to make excuses for a loss and blame other teammates when the going gets tough.

Wrestlers don’t have this luxury. They’re held accountable for every win, loss or pin. Wrestlers take the results of each match to heart, which can add an immense amount of pressure to the individual wrestlers.

“Wrestling is 50 percent mental and 50 percent physical.The pressure and nervousness is all a part of the sport,” Junior Levi Bonzo said. “If a wrestler can’t control their nerves and deal with the pressure, they’re most likely going to lose the match before they’ve even stepped onto the mat.”

This year the FHS wrestling team has been able to overcome the nerves and pressure in order to make back-to-back playoff appearances. While the regular team season is over, there are still several tournaments left for individual wrestlers to potentially wrestle against people all over the state of Pennsylvania for a chance at gaining a state title. In these tournaments, wrestlers face the fact that each match determines whether they’re able to move on and continue in the competition or not.

“I wrestle with the same mentality and intensity in every match whether it’s for the overall team or at a tournament. I’m hoping to place at regionals this year along with several of my teammates,” Bonzo said.

Nine wrestlers placed in the sectional tournament on Feb. 14 and 3 wrestlers, Bonzo, and Sophomores Kody Komara and Dean Ward placed at the WPIAL tournament on Feb. 21 and will be competing at the regional tournament on Feb. 28. From there the wrestlers who place will move on to the state wrestling tournament in Hershey, Pa.