Our Concord Yellow Jacket Wrestling team opened its season at home, Wednesday night, in a tri-match against Potterville and Hanover Horton. Our wrestlers were more than ready to prove that this season starts with a statement.
This Yellow Jacket team put in the effort to show what a true athlete looks like that night. With wins and losses, they all kept a positive mindset. Both the girls and boys have made an impeccable start to the season. But, this is just the beginning, with so many more meets to come.
Every wrestler fought hard that night. Athletes who picked up wins were Zion Eddings, Alexis Miller, Derek Guzman, Ethan Cesco, JJ Davis, and Jordyan Metcalf. Undefeated wrestlers were Jordyan Metcalf and Derek Guzman.
In the opening round, freshman Zion Eddings delivered a hard-fought comeback. Battling through a tough
first match, he just came short of the win. Coming back with grit and determination, he secured a win in his second match.
This meet featured several voided matches, including both of freshman JJ Davis-Bailey’s matches, as well as opening matches for freshman Alexis Miller and senior Jordyan Metcalf. Both Miller and Metcalf made the most of the mat time they had that night. Miller fought a tough battle against an opponent, but she lost this fight, while keeping a positive mindset throughout it all. Metcalf delivered a confident win, setting the example for the younger wrestlers of what a knowledgeable wrestler looks like.
Miller, who has been wrestling since second grade, shares how this match was one of her toughest. “This meet was tough; I was supposed to be in the 115 weight class, but got put into the 125 weight class. I think I just need to mentally prepare myself more and not be overly nervous.”
Senior Ethan Cesco, with strategic techniques, acquired a win in his first match. Coming into the second match with confidence and fighting his hardest, delivering a solid effort, but fell just short on the scoreboard.
Freshman Olivia Chadwell and sophomore Kingston Travis both battled through two very difficult matchups. Both of them bring determination and confidence. Chadwell, staying persistent with her strategies, showed an unwillingness to give up, even through her losses in both of her matches. Similar to Travis, who remained committed and driven throughout these matches, he fought as hard as he could through these hardships and came close to winning. Neither of these individuals let these losses bring down their mood or confidence; rather, they viewed this as a lesson for the rest of the season, as this is just the start.
Freshman Derek Guzman, a current undefeated wrestler, said he was very proud of how he competed, leaving the meet with two pins overall. This is Guzman’s second year wrestling. Guzman shares, “Last year was my worst; I lost all my matches. But I can already feel how this year is going to turn around. I’ve won my first two matches already and plan to win many more in my upcoming season.”
Throughout the wins and losses, all of these athletes continued to maintain great sportsmanship, supporting and cheering for their teammates throughout the whole meet.
Concord walked away from this meet with something more important than just wins: a clear sense of direction, with two senior captains creating a clear pathway for this young team to step into.
We wish the best of luck to our girls’ squad as Alexis Miller, Olivia Chadwell, and Jordyan Metcalf compete at East Jackson Friday night, and to our boys, who compete at the annual Grover Invitational on Saturday at home.
