Riley “Redzone” Morris

ANTICIPATING. Alina Wackerman prepares for the next period of her match at Oak Park. Wackerman finished first in her weight class. “I’de like to qualify and a dream would be to medal. I want to make my dad proud.” Wackerman said.

On the bus ride home from the state wrestling championship, Coach Brandon Wackerman reflected on ways they were going to improve for the next season. They had an unbelievable season with the girl’s team winning the first-ever district championship in program history, a state champion, and a few medals for the girls. The boys’ team scored the highest team score in the state in school history, with 6th in state, four guys placed, and an undefeated state champion. All-American Senior Colby Gray began his off-season training at Missouri Western in March, which continued through summer. 

 ¨I don’t only do stuff inside of practice,¨ Gray said. ¨We start the off-season in March at MO WEST and go through all summer. We took a little break in August and then picked it back up.¨

New rules have been implemented for the upcoming season, ´The National Federation of High Schools´ announced that it was approved in April. Wrestlers will now be considered in bounds if either of the wrestlers has one point of contact inside the boundary line. The near-fall structure is now a two-point for two-count, three points for three sweeps, and four points for four.  Coach Wackerman believes that the team was prepared for the new rule change due to the liking of it in college wrestling. 

¨We were already steering the right direction, we’ve always been a team that is strong and neutral in takedowns,¨ Coach Wackerman said. “I predicted this was going to happen.”

Alina Wackerman, daughter of Coach Brandon Wackerman, suffered a season-ending injury last year. When asked how she is going to stay healthy this season to be able to succeed she said. 

“You can’t live in fear, just give it your all and put in all the time you can,” A. Wackerman said. “Everything optional isn’t for me. You still go and show up and give 100%.”

Even within all the improvements and victories, Coach Wackerman held a false sense of satisfaction in a revelatory moment, the very definition of success he held had deepened. It hit him that when people believe in getting one day better that goes beyond the wrestling room. ¨If their battle is to get to school on time, to treat their mom and dad with more respect, or if they are a good employee at their job¨. He believes that his goals are not tangible because people are learning to live better lives and to be better versions of themselves.