The official start to the wrestling season was this Wednesday December 7th and the Dakota wrestling team showed that they were ready. The first meet was held at Dakota and was against Rochester and Lake Orion. The atmosphere was amazing, wrestlers eager to get on the mat, and fans and parents ready to watch. 

The first match was against Rochester and was a great demonstration of the work the wrestlers have been putting into practice for the past month. Dakota made quick work of Rochester and finished with a team score of 72-9, with pins coming from Carl Nihranz, Orion Wilson, Caleb Weiand, Drew Astorga, Jake Ferguson, Brady Miller, Aiden Critser, Logan Critser, and Anothony Coleman.

The second match was against Lake Orion, and further proved Dakota’s dominance on the mat. The meet ended with a 52-12 team score, with pins from Carl Nihranz, Orion Wilson, Ozia Wilson, Conner Palazzolo, Dominic Demesa, and Jake Ferguson.

“The large number of pins was great for the team.” says senior captain, Caleb Weiand. “We look mean, scary. No one wants to wrestle a team with pinners.” The meet was an overall great start to the season, but that doesn’t mean the team can stop working. “We were tired. Almost all of us, especially in the matches against Lake Orion. We should all continue to work on our conditioning and aggressiveness throughout the season, regardless of how were doing.” said senior captain Aiden Critser. Overall, the wrestlers seem to be shaping nice, and the large demonstration of technique was hopefully just a sneak peek into the rest of the season.