Sean's Club Wrestling Season 24-25

I was shocked when Sean said he wanted to do a season of club wrestling before his middle school season.  It was a sport that took a lot of convincing over the past few years and he's grown to like it.  He's also improved quite a bit and I think this club season was a great decision on his part.  He competed in a bunch of tournaments and got better every time on the mat. 

He started his first tournament in mid-December in Pinkney and wrestled in the 138 weight class.  It was a bracket of 7 wrestlers.  He won his first match against a girl and they went all three rounds with him finishing Major 17-9.  He lost his next two matches so he did not place, but it was a way for him to get his feet wet and see what the competition is like.  

He did another tournament in December called Huron and wrestled again at 138.  He had a tiny bracket, as I think some kids dropped out that morning.  It ended up only being 3 kids and one was a state champion wrestler.  Sean was very frustrated to lose both of his matches, but he still took him 3rd place since there were only three kids.  

He took a break from tournaments until the Dexter one in mid-January.  He bumped up to 145, which was an interesting move.  He weighed 140, which was right at the top of 138, but definitely on the smaller side for 145, but he ended up doing better in the 145 brackets.  There were 5 kids in this tournament.  He won two and lost two and took home 3rd place.  He could have won his last match.  It went to the very last second of the third round, but sadly he got pinned in that last second.

The next tournament he did was the end of January in Saline.  There were 6 in his bracket.  He started out with a win against a tough kid that he ended up having to wrestle again for 3rd or 4th place.  He lost his second match, won his third, and then lost his fourth.  He took fourth place and was very agitated by the end.  It was an exhausting day for him and the kid he had to wrestle twice had headgear that scratched up Sean's face and arms/hands.

The next tournament he did was in Brighton.  In a 5 person bracket he started out with a bye, won his second match with his first tech fall of the season, and then went for the 1st place match.  It went all three rounds and he lost in points, only 8-3.  He then had to wrestle for second place and lost that as he was pretty wore out from the 1st place match that was only minutes before.  He ended up taking third.  

His final tournament he did was the home meet for his club, Plymouth Canton.  There was originally 6 kids in the bracket, then 5, then 4, and finally only 3.  He won his first match and just needed to win one more to take 1st place, but he lost in the second round.  Truthfully, he could have beat that kid, but oh well!  He took home 2nd place!

He qualifies for regionals this weekend, but he did not want to compete any further.  His middle school season starts next week with daily practices and he wanted a short break after a long, but rewarding club season.  He put in so much work and it really paid off!  He improved so much.  I'm looking forward to his middle school season.  He wants this year to be his best.  He has big goals of being a team captain and winning all of his matches at the district meet end of season.  You've got this, Sean!