Last Friday, the Arlington High School Boys Wrestling team competed in the Black Horse wrestling tournament at Houston High School. The AHS tigers competed against 32 teams in the region. Thanks to Coach Simpson, Coach Sossman, and Coach Miller the tigers had a very successful tournament overall. The Black Horse Tournament is just one of many we plan to see the Arlington Tigers at this year.
The boys are determined to make this year a success and have proved just how much their hard work is paying off. This team is diligent to make sure they put their best foot forward on and off the mat. Wrestling is demanding of these players, completing two hours of practice everyday and competing almost every weekend. Our esteemed coaches are eager to see what their team is going to bring to the table this year.
“We have a younger group but they’re very hungry, very eager to compete and to learn and to get better.” – Coach Sossman.
The seniors this year are very excited to be able to lead and incentivize their younger players. This year they are inspired to step up and fill the responsibility left by the seniors who came before them. A senior this year, Carter Zuendel, stated “I feel my senior year I have more of a leadership role and a little more ownership of the team because people look up to me more.” The coaches also believe these new seniors have the prominence and capability to help this team prevail over the competitors. Coach Sossman states, “we have a steady leadership up top with our big guys, John Brown and Walker Funk, two seniors that have been here for a long time.”
Many of our tigers have gone on to say this wrestling program is more than just a team, they are a family and have formed many bonds and friendships between their teammates. Being apart of a family atmosphere encourages the boys to push each other and work harder to win as a unit. They have entrusted each other with keeping the team energized and to make sure no singular person feels they are taking on to much responsibility.
“Knowing I will have lifelong brothers for a long time after high school is nice.” – Walker Funk
This program has educated their players with tools to illuminate their skills to the best of their abilities and form life long friendships. The boys this year have demonstrated extreme discipline in working towards their goals for this year. Everyone is very proud and extremely excited to see what this year brings for this team. Good luck Tigers!
