The girls’ wrestling team successfully completed the district championship on Friday, Feb. 8 at Euless Trinity High School. The team had several first place competitors and placed first overall. The girls are now awaiting the regional championships, which are to take place Friday, Feb. 15 and Saturday, Feb. 16.

The team has had to adjust to minor changes, such as having to adapt to a new coach while head coach Kara Stratton is on maternity leave. Boys’ head coach Noel Peterson has taken the role of head coach while Stratton is out.

“There’s no difference [in my coaching],” Peterson said. “A sport is a sport. I’ve coached the [girls] the same as I’ve coached the guys.”

The team has high hopes for regionals; knowing they are capable of reaching regionals after placing highly at district has brought strict expectations. The competitive and successful season has brought not only the team but individual wrestlers higher goals for them to work on.

“I just want to win, I know how it feels to be at state and still wrestle at higher levels because I’ve wrestled at [the] national level before,” senior captain Lydiana Hill said. “It’s really thrilling to wrestle and meet different people.”

Heading into regionals, the team is bound to meet strong new competitors and tough teams the girls have previously faced. The team prepares to face those competitors by analyzing their styles of wrestling by watching film from specific matches; they use what they know about the opponents to their advantage. The girls must prepare to meet tough competitors from four different athletic districts during region championships.

“[Regional competition is] going to be more competitive, every match is going to be a close match and they need to plan on winning,” Peterson said. “Always go in planning to win.”

The team believes recent success has been possible due to the new sense of togetherness that has been formed within the girls. Strengthening the bond with each other has allowed the girls to better support one another.

“We are more family like, we are actually motivating each other this year and we are just closer,” senior captain Cassie Moseley said.