Bradley Wrestling Team Works Through Challenging Year

by Blaise Runyon,

News Editor

The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Production course.

The Jaguar’s wrestling team’s season has come to an end, and this weekend the wrestlers who qualified at sectionals are attending districts, the last step before reaching states.

Julien Kleiv (11) wrestles his last match before attending sectionals. Photo by Blaise Runyon.

The Jaguar’s wrestling team was small this year, totaling sixteen wrestlers as opposed to last year’s team reaching almost a hundred athletes. Julien Kleiv (11) mentioned that “COVID played a big role this year… and our numbers were a lot lower than normal.” In addition, the pandemic greatly affected the way the team was able to practice and compete. First-year wrestler Sami Hosni (10) tells us, “we had to follow many new rules and protocols and even practice in the locker rooms at one point,” though conversely that “hybrid learning gave me more time to rest and get my work done during the season.” Ryan Bratina (12), who has wrestled all four years of high school added that “it prevented [him] from getting the same amount of work in as [he has] in previous years.” All of the student athletes were grateful for the opportunity to wrestle this year, as everyone was unsure in the fall if there would be a season at all.

Despite the challenges faced this year, the team stayed determined and united. The wrestling team is “like one big family”, Hosni (10) told the Jaguar Times. Similarly, Bratina (12) told The Jaguar Times “watching my team go from young and inexperienced, to some of the hardest working athletes I have wrestled with,” was his favorite part of this year. Seeing the best in a bad situation, Kleiv (11) mentioned that “if [he] needed to cut weight before a meet it was easier, since they were on Thursdays and [he is] in A group.” The Jags were faced with uncertainty in the beginning, and weren’t sure they would be able to wrestle this year, yet this did not deter their hard work and dedication. They found the best in a difficult situation.

So what can you expect next year from the Jags? All of the wrestlers we spoke to intended to return next season, and are hoping for more to join with them. The team worked exceptionally hard in 2020 and 2021, and they’re only getting better. After placing 6th at girl’s states, Hailey Amador (10) is “looking forward to next year's season and [her] new goal to place first [at girl’s states].” They were able to persevere through the guidance from the coaches, who offered them some notable advice, which is applicable both on the mat and off of it. Some memorable words of wisdom that were shared by the wrestlers:

“You don’t have to have any special skill to just work hard and hustle,” Hosni (10)

”Simply go out on the mat, and have fun. Don’t focus so much on winning that you lose sight of how much fun the sport really is,” Bratina (12)

“Slow it down, have fun, and let it fly” Kleiv (11)

“Just take your shot. There’s nothing to lose when you shoot your shot,” Zach Troxell (11)

Although the Jags were faced with many hurdles to overcome, they kept their mindset positive and worked with the new guidelines. The team encompasses Bradley’s commitment to grit. This year, the wrestlers have proved their great representation of our school’s values.