This past Saturday, the boys wrestling team participated in the annual DuPage Valley Conference meet at Lake Park High School. While the team showed tireless effort throughout the day, notable individual performances stood out.

The highlights of the day came during the championship round, including first place finishes from senior Bobby Papiernik and sophomore Philip Sims, who won his match with a dominating 58 second pin. Other standouts from the day included a second place finish by junior Harsh Anchan, a third place finish by freshman Josh LaBarbera, and a fourth place finish by sophomore Tommy Rouse.

Overall, the boys’ season has been full of highlights. However, one reason why this team has been so compelling is the fact that there are only two seniors on the roster, meaning that lots of underclassmen have been relied on to build for the future. Assistant coach Kevin Roth knows that this is a good way to get experience, as a majority of the athletes have at least a couple years remaining at the high school level.

“It’s fun to see guys that maybe you’re not familiar with, they might have the experience from middle school, but just for them to have the get-go and start for our team is great,” Roth said.

With the individual performances and tremendous leadership, this season’s team has raised the bar for the wrestling program. Although each athlete has his own achievements, the pressure for all of them has remained the same. Even though the desired results may not always come, continuing to achieve personal goals and mentalities is what’s most important for the long run.

“Knowing how much harder I need to work in the practice room to get the results I want is what’s most important,” sophomore Tommy Rouse said.

The conference meet provided an opportunity for the wrestlers to live up to the dedication that’s been put in all season. It gave the team a chance to face not only different schools in the conference, but to set new highs and goals as well.

“We’re pretty young, but next year we’re going to be even more better and developed,” junior Jacob Tjards said.