By Alex Rea

The Wheat Ridge Wrestling  team has had quite a year for the 2015-2016 season.

Posting a 7-1 conference record , there has no been no question regarding the Farmer dominance. Losing closely to the infamous Valor Christian 45-30, they  moved to sweep past the remaining conference opponents Littleton, Arvada, Conifer, Standley Lake, Evergreen, and long time rival Golden.

“The season has gone great so far.” said senior Pete Armento. When asked about the sanctity of being a senior on varsity, Armento admitted the responsibilities, “They [underclassmen] expect you to lead them to victory regardless of how the big the team is.”

Along with the 106 lb. lightweight Armento, senior Mitch Cogar recognizes the purpose of leadership in this family structured sport. “To be a senior on the team means to be mature and help out others when you can. Even if that means taking time out of your own moves and technique.”, he said.

With the added responsibilities of being a senior, there many lessons to be learned within the game itself. “The biggest thing wrestling has taught me is the value of perseverance…You’ve got to work hard to get better to win the next ones,” added Cogar.

The team is littered with leaders, based both on performance and leadership. Seniors Zach Culter and Kyle Larson combined for only 19 losses and 65 wins. Comeback kid Tim Clark marked a remarkable 15-1 record. The Haystack’s own writer Nik Schnebly kicked butt and wrote names with a 21-12 record.

The team will be competing in Regionals for the qualification of the Colorado State Wrestling tournament on Friday Feb. 12.