 Lincoln High School wrestling fans should come to expect more
championships from the team."The rest of the team is shaping up
to become a force to compete with," Gardner said.
Matthew Brewer is a junior wrestling in the 120-pound weight
class. This is his first year competing in that weight class. As a
sophomore, he competed at the 138-pound weight class.
"I dropped down so that I would fit in the lineup of the team and
be a more competitive wrestler," explained Brewer.
In order to get in the right mindset to wrestle, Brewer said he
runs sprints, drinks an entire bottle of water and says a prayer.
"I felt like I wrestled well, I was in a really good place in my
mind, and I was ready," Brewer said about his championship.
He is looking forward to the rest of the season and is
anticipating more big wins.
Senior Conner Schmidt has wrestled all four years of high school.
He wrestles at the 182-pound weight class. Schmidt had a hard match
before winning his championship. He said there were times when he
felt that he almost wouldn't make it. This was Schmidt's first
championship win.
In explaining how he prepares for his matches, he said: "I focus
on the match at hand, going over my strengths and weaknesses."
Schmidt's goal for the season is to place in state. "With the
help of my coach, focus and dedication, I feel like I can accomplish
that," he said.
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Gardner has a great team this year. "There are most definitely
some wrestlers to watch; there will be more tournaments," he
promised.
The Lincoln wrestlers have a few upcoming tournaments that
Gardner encourages everyone to attend.
"We could use all the support we can get," he said. "This is a
great team to come out and cheer on."
The individual state tournament takes place Feb. 14-16 in
Champaign.
The next tournament that fans can attend is over the holiday
break, Dec. 27-28.
[By HANNAH MICHALSEN]
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