Going into the match

As Linganore High School’s (LHS) varsity wrestling team headed into their second match of the year and first home match after a win away against Frederick High School, spectators were eager to see if they would  step up and win against Manchester Valley High School.

Going into the match, Ben Arneson, Linganore’s head wrestling coach, had great confidence in his team after much preparation. He had spent 8-10 hours reviewing the opposing team’s match scores and footage and even drove an hour to see them in action.

Heading into the match, Arneson had clear expectatins for his team. He wanted “to compete as hard as we could and focus on preparing us for the rest of the season.”

He also commented on the leadership displayed on the team thus far this season. 

“This group of seniors have done really well stepping up in practice, being willing to help new guys [first-year wrestlers] and demonstrat[ing] on the mat what it takes [to win],” said Arneson.

Recap

The Linganore varsity team won with a combined score of 48-22. However, they started  down 6-0, but the team came back with two pins back-to-back from sophomore Josh Arthur and freshman Cash Wheat. Both wrestlers pushed long bouts to get a pin (12-6), which generated the energy the team needed.

Linganore had 6 pins and 4 match wins to give them 48 points. They were led to victory by seniors Garrett Dickerson, Chase Whitmer, Joel Hopkins and Nathan Husted.

After the Match perspective

Senior heavyweight Joel Hopkins discussed how the team’s overall energy affected the matches.

“The energy was great. We were very locked-in and even when people lost or got pinned, we picked each other up,” said Hopkins.

LHS junior leader Nate Groves agreed. “The energy was stupendous … and [the match] was really fun to watch!” said Groves. 

Groves reflected on how the team’s chemistry during practice lead to success in their matches.

“I think there is a lot of people pushing others … [everyone is] being pushed to be better,” said Groves.

Overall, the victory against Manchester Valley was the result of team energy and hard work on the part of both the coach and wrestlers. Arneson expects this winning combination will lead to a successful, winning season for varsity wrestling.