The wrestling team can not wait to hit the mats this holiday season.

The Holiday Classic is unlike the typical wrestling meet. 

“The Holiday Classic differs from a normal wrestling meet in that it is a two-day tournament with almost 30 teams,” senior Gabe Folco said. 

The Holiday Classic takes place during one of the busiest parts of the wrestling team’s schedule. The meet takes place on Dec. 29 and Dec. 30, which is just after the Johnson County meet. 

“The team has not prepared too much for this tournament specifically due to the County meet being the week before, but it is definitely a meet that has been highlighted on our schedule. Even though we have not been as focused on this meet as others, it should not affect our mindset going into it,” Folco said. 

The Woodmen are looking to improve upon their finishing place from last year due to many impressive young wrestlers. 

“Our expectations for this meet are to send more than one person to the second day of the tournament, especially our older and more experienced wrestlers,” Folco said. 

The season has gone very well for the Woodmen so far, which is giving them confidence heading into the Holiday Classic. 

“This season has been very successful up to this point. We lost some key wrestlers from last year, but our younger wrestlers have made great strides and helped us improve. We expect to improve our placement this year at the Holiday Classic,” Folco said. 

Lots of practice has been the primary reason for the Woodmen’s success.

“We have put in tons of work this offseason. Coach Yates has been working us harder than ever as well as Mr. Watson. I think this is probably why we have seen this much success,” sophomore Carson Andreas said. 

The Woodmen have had some tests already this season.

“One of our biggest tests so far this season was our meet at Roncalli. Roncalli is a really tough and physical team, and they have some of the best wrestlers in the state. I think the experience facing them will benefit us later in the season when the meets start to matter more,” sophomore Mikey Fisher said.