The Frederick High Varsity Wrestling team has had numerous difficulties throughout the years, including a lack of wrestlers for each weight class, illnesses and injuries, and lack of recognition. The team has since conquered these obstacles and given their current rate of advancement and noise, they are more than prepared to compete and establish a reputation for themselves.
On Thursday, December 8, 2023, the wrestling team of Frederick High School, under the direction of head coach Anthony Medina, faced the Skyline Falcons in their first home dual of the 2023 season. Junior Diego Rangel states, “I think as a team we had a few mistakes but we got some big wins where it was needed.” After competing strongly in their first tournament held at Fort Lupton, the Frederick wrestling team continued their winning and dominant momentum by defeating the Skyline Falcons 39-36 in a home dual.
Anthony Medina, the team’s head coach, was pleased with the evening’s performance and is looking forward to what is ahead on their upcoming schedule, “I was happy with the outcome of the night! I’m proud of how the team is looking but we definitely still have work to do. I think this is my first time we have beat Skyline in my time here at Frederick. We have been battling sickness this last week so the team really showed up, stepped up and made it come together. Last year they narrowly beat us by the same margin so it was really nice to get the win this year.”
The team decided to take things a step further when competing against other teams during duals. They will use the evening to better understand themselves both as an individual and as a group so they can work together to win. As the night went on, the team created new kinds of noise and alternate realities for their opponents.
Coach Medina states, “We have individual talks with all athletes when they get off the mat and sometimes after the dual as well. Each athlete knows what they need to work on and we have a plan to get everyone up to speed. The team as a whole seems to be getting in a good groove. Duals are important, if we can continue to build momentum this will be a great season.”
Coach Medina continues, “Our main focus is building each other up. Our strength is in our team, our experience. With guys like Diego Rangel, Kayler Reed, and Rico Moreno leading the charge we should keep on the right path.” Junior Diego Rangel states that despite the squad’s abundance of talented players, great expectations are placed on the squad this season: “I think this season will show that we have a strong team with multiple people that can place at big tournaments. I think that we are gonna keep working hard because we have seen what hard work produces.”
The squad is prepared and eager to create history. They plan to win one dual at a time and encourage players to advance and finish highly in the top high school tournaments. Junior Diego Rangel says, “This year we are a lot better because we have a whole team that’s willing to adapt and work hard.” With a single aim as their primary focus, the squad is getting ready for their upcoming home matchup on Wednesday, December 13. Coach Medina is expected to lead his side to victory once more, saying, “We hope to just continue this momentum we have against Niwot. They gave us a good run last year and I don’t expect anything different. We will train hard and be ready.”
