Foran wrestlers pushed their hardest, wrestled their best and came together as a team to take home the Class M state championship, as well as nine medals, this past weekend.
Becoming a 2025 Class M state champion isn’t easy. Wrestlers have to work extremely hard throughout the season to reach this rewarding moment.
Coach David Esposito states, “With the same lineup for both the SCC tournament and the Class M state tournament, our top 14 wrestlers [were] ready to prove themselves, having earned their spots through months of dedication, hard work and fierce competition against their peers.”
To choose the varsity wrestlers, there is a wrestle off every week in each weight class. Whoever wins is on varsity until they wrestle each other again. This sport is extremely tough physically and mentally, as wrestlers may have to compete against their own friends for varsity.
Foran’s top wrestlers carried the program’s hopes into the high-pressure state tournament this past weekend.
Esposito says that since the first day of practice in November, the team has been working toward a goal of peaking at the Class M tournament. “That is when we want to wrestle our best,” he says.
He described the recent SCC as a “dress rehearsal” for the state tournament, which he says is always the team’s “ultimate goal.” SCC’s has served as an important test for the team before heading into states in the past, and the lessons from that tournament are extremely important as they enter the high-pressure environment of Class M.
To better prepare for these tournaments, the wrestlers get into form, get their weight under control and learn what they mentally need to do to be prepared to wrestle six to eight matches over a weekend. At this point, most of the preparation is mental.
Junior Sawyer Miller states, “Staying hydrated and having a positive mindset works towards success.” While maintaining the proper weight might be difficult, these wrestlers work hard and think of the rewarding win they could achieve for their efforts.
Daily practices are an hour and 50 minutes, no more and no less, according to Esposito. They consist of a timed mile in pool hall, then drilling and live wrestling for about an hour. Last is conditioning, such as carrying each other up and down the stairs.
Gavin Lefebvre, a junior, states, “The hardest part of the season is definitely how hard we have to work if we want to win, and when the season starts it is very difficult to gain back your stamina and get back into the swing of things.”
Wrestling is a part of these students’ and coaches’ everyday lives, having fun, working hard and making lifelong friends along the way.
Esposito says he coached baseball and football before giving wrestling a try. “Coaching is more about motivating your players than X’s and O’s, so I gave it a shot! It is the most rewarding thing I have ever done!”
The Foran wrestlers say they apply all this motivation to their sport, but they can use it in life, too. And they say wrestling isn’t only about the sport, it’s about the family.
Miller states, “Since I joined the wrestling team, I feel like I’ve been a part of a family. I believe that strong team bonding creates a sense of brotherhood, which is what forms that family and leads to success.”
