Credit to Rion Flemming

Collin Conley bends down to fight another wrestler during wrestling tryouts.

New faces will be filling the mats for the 2024-25 wrestling season. As the team moves into the new season, a large number of freshmen will be filling the spots that the seniors vacated. Noah Brown, a freshman, has been preparing himself for the shoes he will have to fill. 

“I’ve been practicing outside of school and lifting weights,” Brown, who is the son of wrestling coach Chris Brown said. “I also wrestled prior to joining the team this year.”

The team made many strides forward last season. Isabelle Apple, a junior last year and now a senior, placed as a state finalist in her weight class, something that the program hadn’t seen in over 20 years. Although successful last year, the team looks to expand on the wins and create even more. 

“I think the goal for our team this year is to hopefully place top three and district and have more than three state placers,” Noah Brown, who will be joining the wrestling team this season, said. 

The old wrestlers agree, emphasizing the team’s optimism for the season. 

“We’re more locked in and I think we’re going to win more,” senior Colin Connley, a senior and long time wrestler for North said. “We have a lot of guys coming in that are getting better and that’ll contribute a lot to the team.”

Although group goals are important, it’s vital for the team to not abandon personal goals. So far, the group has excelled in keeping those a priority. 

“I think what motivates me is just making myself better, and winning,” Noah Brown said. “I just want to give somebody a role model or something like that.”