At the Hall of Fame tournament this past weekend, the Chiefs won 11th place out of 22 schools. Santaluces hosted this tournament and had two wrestlers landing on the podium, Mikey Mahan placed 4th and Ian Sorensen placed 5th.

“The more I wrestle, the easier it becomes,” said Mahan. “The sport is something that grows on you and soon becomes second nature. This past weekend I was doing okay up until my semi finals match against American Heritage, which he knocked me down to constellations. I fought my way back up to wrestle in the 3rd and 4th place finals. I had Olympic Heights and we went back and forth the entire match. It was a really close match but I lost. I wasn’t satisfied placing 4th but I’m just going to train harder to get 1st next year and focus on Districts, Regionals, and States.”

Unfortunately, two chiefs were injured and couldn’t move on in the tournament, Mike Medio (126 lbs) and Alex Blitzer (160 lbs). Each are crucial to the wrestling team not just for wins they earn but also for motivating the team and showing leadership throughout the season.

“Getting injured during season is really upsetting,” said Medio. ” You never really know how much you miss competing once you are injured. Last year I was a county finalist and this year I couldn’t even finish the tournament because of this injury. Getting injured this close to districts is scary because if I’m still injured, my season is ended early and I can’t achieve my goals of becoming a state placer.”

In two weeks, the chiefs will try to become district champions for the second year in a row. The tournament will be held at Boca Raton High School.

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