This year’s wrestling team holds home to nine seniors this season, the biggest graduating class since the 2014-15 season. Of those nine seniors, seven of them, including Joshua Simmons, will be finishing their fourth season by year’s end.

“It’s kind of crazy knowing it’s my last season, it makes me wish I started when I was younger,” Simmons said.

All the seniors will be a part of the varsity team this year, as they all fit into different weight class. Out of all of them, only one, Dillon Lauer, has been to the state competition, which he did his sophomore year.

“State was a good experience with it being my sophomore year and I’m glad to have gone for the first time that year rather than my senior year,” Lauer said. “After my not making it my junior year, I realized that nothing is ever a given.”

As the seniors on the team, it’s their responsibility to be the leaders on the team and be good role models to the younger wrestlers. Assistant head coach Sean Fowler feels like the seniors have been good leaders for the underclassmen and feels they can continue to lead them throughout the season to further successes.

“The seniors] have been leaders on the team so far,” Fowler said. “Between the ones that have taken over leadership roles, there are those who aren’t overt leaders and are still leading the team with the expectations and holding the younger and newer members accountable.”