The season for the wrestling team has nearly started and they will be competing in the highly anticipated holiday tournament Dec. 17. Hoover has been practicing months prior to the tournament to get ready for it. Junior Sam Wakser said it is one of the hardest tournaments Hoover competes in because many teams from all over, including other states, will be competing in it. The Holiday Invitational will be held at Hoover.

Wakser said he has high expectations for his team, considering how well they have done in the past years. He said he hopes a few of his team members can make it very far this year, maybe even into the finals.

“We placed fairly high last year and we’re hoping to place at least eighth this year and get two or three guys into the finals,” Wakser said.

Assistant coach Nick Gamble also said he has high hopes for the team.

“I think the team finishing in the top ten is expected,” he said. “If we wrestle well, sneaking into the top five would be great.”

Since this is one of the tougher tournaments the wrestling team competes in, Senior Ryan Teis said he feels more pressure is put on him than usual. This will be his last year on the team, so he said he is holding himself to high standards.

“The pressure is higher not only because I’m a senior but also because it is expected that you do better than the year before,” Teis said.

As with any sport, Wakser said he feels stress and pressure start to build up, especially during the holiday tournament. He also said sometimes a player may feel weaker than usual because of the hard work and long match hours, and on top of that, some of the wrestlers are expected to cut some weight before tournaments, which can take a major toll on the body.

“It’s very stressful and you feel very weak while you’re doing everyday things,” Wakser said.

However, Gamble said he feels very confident in his team during the season because of the work they put in each day.

“The team is always ready to compete,” Gamble said. “The wrestlers work hard preparing for competition daily.”

Wakser said another thing that contributes to the stress the players feel is the length of the tournament.

“It sometimes lasts after midnight on Friday night and doesn’t finish until after eight on Saturday night,” he said.

Wakser said the team is up against opponents who will pose a challenge to the team.

“There are many good teams from three states including Ohio’s last year state champion team; Wadsworth,” he said.

As a senior looking to wrestle in college, Teis said he feels a lot of added pressure to do well.

“It is a big tournament and there are a lot of very good teams so it looks good to colleges if you place at the holiday tournament,” Teis said. “I look forward to this tournament because it is always fun and it is a big challenge to place at so it pushes you to do better.”

The tournament can be difficult since there is a lot of tough competition, but both Wakser and Teis said they are looking forward to it.

“It’s one of the only times in wrestling where you get to wrestle in front of a large crowd,” Wakser said.

Teis said one thing the team can do to ensure success is to keep a positive attitude.

“What is going though my head is that I have to take one match at a time, and I envision the matches in my head in a positive way,” he said.