On February 28, The Linganore High School (LHS) wrestling team fought to qualify for the state duals wrestling championship
The meet was held at Quince Orchard High School and was a two day thing, both Friday and Saturday to determine the overall placing. The atmosphere was a typical, high-energy, intense event where the wrestlers competed in a series of matches.
Before the match started, there was often a sense of nerves and focus as wrestlers prepare, warm up and mentally gear up for the match. The crowd was cheering loudly and the sound of the mats hitting the floor and the referee’s whistles added to the intensity. The LHS wrestlers competed against different athletes from different schools.
The Linganore Lancers qualified the most wrestlers to go to states. The Linganore wrestling team has 7 wrestlers going to states with Clarksburg and Walt Whitman almost catching up to them by having 6 players qualifying.
In first place Senior Josh Arthur, who is now a regional champion. Second place, Senior Brennan Considine and third Senior place Alex Tortolani.
Linganore wrestling coach David Kenderdine shared how the team prepared for its season.
“It’s a lot of self motivation,” Kenderdine said. “It’s a hard season; it’s a long season. It’s hard, but we play a lot of games, [and] we have a lot of fun.”
Self motivation is crucial for an athlete pursuing states because it pushes them to put forth more effort, resilience and personal accountability. Self motivation pushes athletes to train, even on tough days, and helps them stay focused on their goal.
Kenderdine shared advice for any future wrestlers looking to join the team.
“Grind,” Kenderdine said. “[You] gotta learn how to grind. It’s tough, but you gotta learn how to just stick with it, put your head down and barrel through.”
Josh Aurthur is one of the seven wrestlers who made it to states. Aurthur won in the quarterfinals 33-3 over Eli Moy (James Hubert Blake High School) 24-14, placing 1st.
In order to make it to states, Arthur had to work on getting his weight down to 115 pounds to wrestle in his weight class. This was a challenge for Aurthur, since he started the year at 132 pounds. Aurthur expressed how difficult his journey has been since November and how he pulled through with the support and encouragement of his teammates and coaches.
“My biggest challenge has definitely been getting down to 115,” Arthur said. “My coaches and my teammates have helped me a lot along the way. It’s been like a whole process since I’ve been cutting weight since like November.”
Aurthur shared that having a strong mindset has made him walk confidently onto the mat and not have to worry about how he is going to do. He just focuses on what he has to do at that moment.
“The way I think about it [wrestling], just where I go into my matches, has definitely changed,”Aurthur said.
Another Linganore wrestler who competed at States was Senior Brennan Considine. Considine won 39-1 in the quarterfinals, as he pinned Walter Johnson High School’s Eshel Cohen-Zamir (15-22) in just 39 seconds, earning 2nd place.
At the start of regionals, prior to this match, Brennen injured his shoulder. That did not stop him from giving his all and still placing second in his States match. His relentless effort and focus paid off, as he fought his way through the touch competition, securing his impressive second-place finish. In his state match his determination and passion will show his true dedication for the sport .
“So, going to the finals match on Saturday at regionals, I was a little out of it,” Considine said. “I wasn’t at a hundred percent, but I still wrestled and got second place.”
While Considine lost his regional match, it gave him the motivation to keep going despite the pain.
“I think my mindset has improved the most from just a thought perspective, not getting in my head while wrestling or being nervous.”
Alex Tortolani, who placed third after a 28-9 win over Kauser Kaiser (Oakdale High School), has been an example of perseverance throughout the season. Tortolani learned the importance of pushing through personal challenges and leaning on his teammates for support.
“I thought about persevering through hardships, being that I hurt myself in my earlier matches, and I had to fight through that to achieve the result that I got,” Tortolani said. “I also learned a lot about supporting my teammates. I was really excited because this being my third year wrestling. I’m pretty new to this, and it just meant a lot to me to be one of the best in the state at what I do.”
