Just like other sports in the district, the wrestling team has lost a large amount of matches in their season this year. That has not stopped them from preparing for matches and tournaments though. So far, the team holds a 10-3 record. 

On Feb. 2, the team hosted Carlynton and New Castle. Freedom overcame Carlynton 30-24, with sophomores Tanner Millward and Trent McCray both winning their matches. Freshman Ryan Kredel also won his match. Freedom also defeated New Castle 30-21. Senior Trent Schultheis won his match, along with freshman Cody Paterson. 

On Feb. 3, the team hosted Ambridge, Beaver, Fort Cherry and South Side Beaver. Freedom won against Ambridge 42-0 with a pin from sophomore Matthew Schultheis. In addition, the Bulldogs won against South Side 36-24 and Beaver 39-24. Kredel, Matthew Schultheis, Millward and Trent Schultheis all won their matches against Beaver. Unfortunately, the team fell 34-21 against Fort Cherry.

On Feb. 4, the Bulldogs traveled to Laurel High School to compete in the WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League) Section 2 AA Duals. They lost to Quaker Valley 54-12, but Matt Schultheis and McCray both had won their matches. 

Unfortunately, since the team had lost in the section semis, they are done competing as a team this year. They will now compete as individuals for the remainder of the season. Even though the team might be done competing as a whole together,  does not mean that they will not be setting their own goals for themselves.

 “My goal personally is to win WPIALS regionals and state,” Trent Schultheis said. 

The team has seemed to accomplish a massive feat within a short period of time. While living in a pandemic, many wrestlers, parents and coaches didn’t even know if there would be a season or what the changes would look like. The team is required to wear masks when they are not wrestling but are allowed to take the masks off when it is time for their match. 

“I think that is definitely a good thing that we continued with winter sports. We do not have to wrestle with masks now. It was talked about a lot at the beginning of the season, which nobody really wanted to do. If we were forced to wear a mask while we wrestle, it would  actually be more hazardous. No matter what different things we had to face that got in our way, we kept the season going, and we are almost at the end without not one wrestler on the team getting COVID-19,” Millward said.

The pandemic has definitely changed the overall season, but the team as a whole managed to do well. Now, the wrestlers will enter into competing individually. Hopefully, some will be competing in the PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) AA Championships in March in Hershey.