The Bulldog wrestlers recently became Mid-Penn Colonial Division champions by defeating Boiling Springs 36-28 on Jan. 6 in a nail biting match. Freshman Hunter Gregoris said, “We had to go as hard as possible by practicing for 2-3 hours a day. The team hasn’t made it to districts in years, so it was a really good feeling for the seniors and underclassmen alike.” Hunter Adams chimed in and said, “It feels good, especially considering we came back from some major division match losses last year.” The team was led to this Mid-Penn victory by what they describe as their amazing coaches. Senior Josh Paisley said, “The coaches definitely put their best effort out there to help us reach our full potential.”

Over the course of the season, the underclassmen created an extraordinary bond with this year’s seniors. Paisley in particular had a very profound effect on the underclassmen, as Sophomore Kyle Brobst said, “ Paisley has really influenced me to work hard in the practice room. He pushes everyone every day to be the best they can be.”  Ridgley Snyder agreed and said, “Paisley really influenced how I wrestle in a positive way by being my practice partner and pushing me to do my best.” Not all of their practices were about all work and no play however, as a few of the wrestlers talked about how they would miss Farlling’s smell of beef jerky, and just having the ability to joke around with each other. “I’ll miss my practice partners, it’ll be weird not wrestling with them anymore,” said Junior Tucker Brough. Considering how closely and how long they’ve all worked together, it’s no wonder that this year’s wrestling group won Mid-Penn Colonial Division Champions.

Likewise, the seniors had nothing but positive things to say about the underclassmen. Garrett Gordon said, “The underclassmen worked hard. They knew what we had to do and there was no fighting on the team this year. That’s how we dominated our division.”  He continued, “Beating Boiling Springs was great, Taylor was amazing, and it was hilarious when Gutshall tried to tackle him.”  The entire team agreed that it was something new for them to win such an intense match (in reference to beating Boiling Springs and becoming Mid-Penn Colonial Division Champs). Farlling said, “I will miss going to Kutztown camps during the summer, those had to have been the most fun we had all together.” The Bulldog wrestlers are currently still working to progress in the offseason, and had their Senior Night this past Saturday. After the seniors walked, they proceeded to dunk their coaches in paper shreds proving that the bond between each other is what really pushed them to succeed.