The lights dim. The music starts blasting. The one spotlight shines on the center of the mat shining on the wildcat logo. The Wilsonville Wrestling team runs out and begins their warmups.

Wilsonville Wrestling has always notoriously been overshadowed by its fellow winter sports like basketball. However, Wilsonville has gained the eye of many as they have competed very well in their last matches and tournaments.

The Wildcats recently competed in the annual Colton Holly Wrestling Tournament, a tournament dedicated to Colton Holly who was a student at Wilsonville High School who wrestled and swam before passing away in 2010. Wilsonville took 6th place at this tournament after competing against powerhouses like Canby, Century, and Pendelton. Canby has always been known for their wrestling program. The Cougars quickly took control of this tournament ultimately ending with the first-place medals.

Wilsonville had an away meet at Centennial on February 1st which ended with a win. After this win, the feelings hit hard as the next home meet vs. Putnam was Senior Night. There are a whopping 15 seniors on the wrestling team.

Suddenly nerves set in for the female wrestlers as State Qualifiers were approaching. Wilsonville has had a rapid increase in the number of female wrestlers each year. There are 10 female wrestlers this year which is the most this team has had. Junior Jasmine Brown and Senior Venelle Imbi both qualified for State this year! Brown felt “very excited! Going to state has been a goal for me for the past two years and it’s an amazing opportunity to finally have the opportunity to go. That makes it very nerve-wracking as well though.” Imbi agreed, adding “It was something I have been waiting for. It is a goal that not many get to achieve so I am very excited about it.”

While the girls begin to prepare for the State Championship, the guy’s State qualifiers begin this coming weekend. It is a stressful week as the team prepares for their events. “Since we are done with duals and tournaments right now, prepping for State has included lots of conditioning as well as reviewing everything we’ve worked on these past couple of months,” said Brown.  “I am prioritizing rest as well as working out on my own because I don’t want to feel too stressed about State,” added Imbi.

“It feels like the tournament is taking forever to get here but I am excited,” said Imbi. Wilsonville has had a successful season thus far and looks to continue this throughout the State Qualifiers and ultimately, the State Championship.