Haris Yahaya ’24
Jan 27, 2023
The Blue Storm wrestling team has put together a solid season so far.
Veterans like Alex Forrester ’23, Luke Hendricks ’24, and Hayden Shirk ’24 have been key contributors throughout the winter. First-year wrestlers like Beau McArthur ’26’ and Page Starkey ’24’ have also shown significant progress over the season.
Starkey, in particular, had a big win in a recent match, making her one of the only female wrestlers to win a match in the last few years.
Forrester had this to say about Starkey’s big win and the new youngsters on the team. “In regards to Page’s win, it is great to see all of these first-year wrestlers develop as athletes, and I am very proud of the progress she’s made. She always comes in ready to work and learn, and it shows on the mat. While the team this year is not as experienced, they are bringing new energy to the team and are eager to learn, get better, and have fun with the sport.”
Hendricks added, “Page’s win was super important for the team to be able to see someone who hasn’t wrestled before go out there and wrestle by what they learned and build the confidence in the team that we are able to send Page out to be able to capture a win in a must-win match.”
Although the team’s last big tournament at the Gilman School didn’t go as planned, they bounced back and picked up some good wins at the next matches.
Hendricks said, “After being swept at the Gilman Duals, the team prepared for the next week with hard training and conditioning leading up to the tournament the following Wednesday and Saturday. Hayden, Beau, Reed [Warner ‘25], and I were able to capture some wins; we pushed the team every day after to build their confidence.”
Although the season is coming to a close, there are still many tournaments that the team is looking forward to and are must-sees for fans.
Hendricks added, “Some of the must-watch matches are the PAISAA duals and the state tournament. PAISAA duals [on January 28] are something that gives us an idea of what competition will be at the state tournament.”