The Greendale High School Wrestling team just came off a very successful season under the direction of the new coach, Troy LaPlante.
They placed fourth in their division, winning 2 out of their three home meets, and even sending a wrestler, Senior Deacon Ward to state. The team faced many challenges, but also overcame most of them to be as successful as they were.
This season, the wrestling team faced a lot of adversity, and many younger students were stepping into varsity spots for the first time, which worried coach LaPlante.
“At the same time, one of our challenges was inexperience in several weight classes. We had a number of younger wrestlers stepping into varsity roles for the first time,” LaPlante said, “While that led to some growing pains in high-pressure matches, it also provided invaluable experience. Those athletes gained mat time against tough competition, which will accelerate their development and position us for greater success in the seasons ahead.”
Now there were some big things to celebrate this season for the team. One wrestler, Senior Noah Lofy, reached his 100th career win this season, and it was over four years as a wrestler for him.
“To achieve this kind of milestone is definitely special to me and means a lot to me. It’s a testimony to the amount of work I have put into this sport,” said Lofy, “the ups and downs I’ve been through, and the constant drive needed to push myself every day and be better than everyone else.”
During wrestling season, many athletes have to lose or gain weight in order to wrestle, senior Cole Lofy talks about how he managed weight.
“I cut a lot of weight before the season so I could wrestle at the 120lb weight class. If you work hard, are determined, and smart about what you eat, managing and maintaining weight is fairly easy.” Lofy said, “Every once in a while, I cheated and ate some big meals, but with a lighter schedule this season, it wasn’t too hard to manage weight. Working hard and continuously at practice was one of the biggest ways I managed my weight.”
This past weekend, Ward headed to Madison to compete at the state wrestling tournament, a big accomplishment for him and the rest of the team. They hope to send more wrestlers there in the future.
“I was extatic my freshman year my dad took me to watch and I told him I wanted to be on those mats, now after all the work I finally got the opportunity to be down in the big show,” Ward said.
The Greendale Wrestling season was overall very successful. They have built a great foundation after splitting from Whitnal, and hope to continue their success into future years, winning more meets and sending multiple wrestlers to state in future years. The coach thanks the seniors for their hard work and the foundation they have created.
