With the wrestling season underway, many seniors are taking part in their final high school sport experience, with players choosing different routes for post-graduation. 

Players love the individuality and self-reliance of the sport. Wrestling can truly bring out the best version of oneself and everything is up to one wrestler, which requires mental tenacity on the mat.

“The thing I love most about wrestling is the competitive nature. It’s an individual sport where it’s just you against one other person. So if you mess up, it’s on you and if you succeed, you succeed by being the best version of yourself and you don’t have to rely on others for anything,” said captain Julius Ramos (‘23).

AJ Johnson (‘23) is another wrestling captain for Amador Valley, but he plans to pursue football in college due to the high amount of interest from college coaches.

“As much as I enjoy wrestling, I plan on playing football in college. I enjoyed meeting great teammates and people that I got to interact and grow relationships with,” said Johnson.

Unlike Johnson, Ramos does not plan to head into sports in college and is excited to have more free time. However, he will never lose his love for wrestling. 

“I don’t plan on wrestling in college because I look forward to having more free time and spending more time with my friends and family. But I still want to be involved with it in some way in the future for sure,” said Ramos.

Outside of competitions, wrestling fosters an environment that allows players to grow and connect with friends and coaches. Wrestlers develop a second family to create goals and memories with.

“One of my goals for this season is to be a league champ and one of my favorite memories in my high school career so far is playing top six in the NCS championships,” said Ramos.