The MSMS wrestling team competed in Saltillo in a quad match against French Camp, Saltillo and Tupelo on Jan. 8, with Frazer defeating French Camp and Goen defeating Tupelo.
The tournament was the wrestling team’s first match since December’s break, providing fresh insight into the team’s capabilities after a recess.
“[This match] was a good determination of how we stack against other schools, especially with the restriction of no practices over break,” junior Harper Hipp said.
Hipp, who competes in the 138-pound weight class, was the only member of the Goen team to wrestle both Saltillo and Tupelo, winning both matches. Co-captain Nina Weinstein, who wrestles in the 145-pound weight class, won an exhibition match against Tupelo.
“We did pretty [well] considering we have a pretty small team,” Weinstein said. “I saw a lot of improvement.”
Seniors Owen Williams and co-captain Enoch Clardy, competing in the 138-pound and 157-pound weight classes, respectively, won all their matches against French Camp, Saltillo and Tupelo. Senior Ross Chism and junior Dietrich Hedgepeth saw wins against Tupelo, senior Trice McMichael and junior Branston Harewood won against Saltillo and senior Shaw Prewitt and junior Gabriel Ellingburg won against French Camp. The victories came in the 120-, 150-, 190-, 285-, 175- and 165-pound weight classes, respectively.
“We got a lot of mat time, which is really a main goal for us. We want people to get experience,” Clardy said.
The Goen wrestlers, which previously consisted of nine wrestlers, competed with five members due to players who left and weight class restrictions. The team’s victory against Tupelo was the first win for Goen since it was created last fall.
“There was definitely room for improvement, but there were a lot of ups and downs,” Clardy said. “Everyone fought as hard as they could.”
