Searcy, AR. (LP) — In recent years the Searcy High School Wrestling team has been one of the most successful programs in the district. They won the 2018 state championship and have worked tirelessly to continue improving. The Searcy High School Wrestling Team is considered by many to be one of the more challenging, and physically taxing sports that we have at Searcy High School with many of their players having to go full days while fasting or intaking as little food and water as possible in order to make weight. However extreme these actions may seem, they have been proven to be very successful and have led the SHS wrestling team to multiple state championships. Landon Valdez, a senior at SHS, and prominent member of the wrestling team described some of the difficulties he has faced trying to make weight, “You have to constantly watch what you are eating and drinking especially when it gets close to days of the matches. On match days if you are worried about not making weight you have to fast until the weigh-in which can make you weak or really throw you off during the school day.”
Although the preparation for matches can be grueling and intense, days of the matches are always buzzing with excitement. The wrestling matches always pull an impressive crowd compared to some of the other activities at this time. Valdez expanded on the crowd turnout, “Even though we may not get as many people that come and watch the matches, nearly all of them are really invested in the sport, and excited to see the matches unlike football when there’s a lot of people that come just as a social event.”
Thursday, January 30 was this year’s senior night for the wrestling team. Regardless of the sport this is always a night filled with emotion and pride over all that you have accomplished and struggled with throughout your high school career. Micah Ford another wrestler and senior discussed his thoughts after senior night, “I still feel in shock from this being my senior year it feels like only last year I was a freshman that didn’t know anything, and now we’re fixing to graduate.”
The Searcy High School wrestling team has many exciting events in the next few weeks specifically one of these being their conference and then state tournaments. The tournaments will determine whether or not the Searcy High School wrestling team will enjoy their second championship in recent years. All students are invited to come out and support the wrestling team.
