Varsity wrestler Sean Small struggles to fight off the pressure of his opponent as they roll around strategically on the sweaty mat. Finally, Sean clobbers the Ritenour High School student to the ground. A sigh of relief escapes from Sean and a smile spreads across his face as he realizes what he just accomplished. Not only has he pinned down his opponent, but he has boosted his confidence as well; a much needed win.

“We have kids that are really good that are doubting themselves,” Small said. “That’s really holding back on how good they can perform. We just need to work on confidence and believing in yourself.”

On the other side of the crowded gym, sophomore and varsity Knight, AJ Lozada, faces his CBC opponent. The whistle is blown by the referee and the two struggle against each other for a few moments until Lozada triumphs for a 4-3 win.

“My competion wasn’t too bad,” Lozada said. “But I probably didn’t do as well as I should have. I personally just need to work on my top and bottom a lot.”

On January 22, FHN’s wrestling team competed in the Tri-Meet against CBC High School and Ritenour High School. Due to a shortage of players because of injuries earlier in the season, the Knights come home after a long night with losses against both schools, with a score of 24-41 against Ritenour, but also an idea on how they can improve for the rest of the season.

“We have a lot of good kids,” Lozada said. “We need to get all of our wrestlers healthy again so we’re not losing because of [forfeits].”

The next wrestling meet will be held at North on Jan 24 against Hazelwood East High School according to MissouriWrestling.com.