By DANIEL RIOS
On Saturday, Oct. 12 the Homer Mariners battled it out for the first time this season at Skyview High School. What a day, with all of the excitement of the yelling crowds and cheering of the teams in the gymnasium, it was filled with noisy fans. Tragically, this could have been one of the last home meets for the Panthers due to the high school turning into a middle school.
The Mariners did a fantastic job this last weekend scoring 13 wins and only 5 losses over all. With this hope, team members feel this set the tone for the season, telling all other teams that the Mariners are here to win.
Although I was in the tournament myself, I managed to get interviews in with most of the wrestlers.
My first interview was with second year wrestler Wyatt Lewis (freshman) who answered my series of questions with a smile on his face. When I asked Wyatt what it was like to wrestle for his first time high school, he said that he felt that it was going to be a challenge. He then added, “It’s different.” I asked him if he was nervous or scared; he raised his eyebrows, grinned and said, “Yeah, I was nervous.” When asked what it felt like when the referee raised Wyatt’s hand for the win, Wyatt replied, “I felt happiness. I felt a rush of excitement over my body, especially when my dad yelled, ’Yea!’ I felt pride.”
I asked the team manager how the team did that day. “I think we did pretty good, ” she said. Do you think we were ready? “Maybe if we had two more practices I think we could have won all of our matched. I think we are going to do great.”
With the Mariners on a roll there is no telling what is to come next with this blistering storm of a team. The Mariners will have their first home meet this week on Saturday, Oct. 19. So come and support your Mariners, Homer.