Wrestlers take small steps towards state

      The steps to state started early this year for the Cardinal wrestlers.
      This last weekend the wrestler bus headed to Lexington for dual matches. The wrestlers came in tough and won two of the five duals.
      Although the Cardinals, as a team, fell to Alliance last week, several of their wrestlers won their matches, and the boys consider that meet "nothing but a good experience for the meets to come" according to a wrestler, Tate Cullers. A senior, Tanner Kickland, has a few words to say about his team. "I think overall as a team we are wrestling well. We are not at our full potential, but I don't think there is a team in the state that is."
     The wrestlers have been practicing hard each morning, and they are taking certain measures to reach their potential. Aside from the Lexington Duals, the wrestlers have found that duals have been a bit of a struggle, due to the lack of participation. Several wrestlers have injuries preventing them from wrestling, and others cannot wrestle due to poor grades.
     The Cardinals have four open weights, which in a dual, is a twenty-four point deficit. "I have high expectations for every wrestler on my team," says Kickland. If the Cards pick up their intensity, they should have an excellent turnout for state qualifiers.
     This weekend, the Cardinal wrestlers will stay home and host the Cardinal Invitational at CSC's PAC. They hope to see a lot of fans there cheering them on and pushing them on their way to state wrestling in Omaha.