Inside The Mat

Cammy Bechter and Isaiah Ramirez

I took it upon myself to join our own Barstow High School Wrestling team on their dual meet in Victor Valley against the JackRabbits. To call this particular group of individuals interesting is more than a understatement. They are a tight-knit body of friends and partners who stick together to form a pillar of strength and to support each other in each match. Each time a different contender went up from our side, they would join together to chant that person’s name. Whether that wrestler won or not did not seem to matter to his teammates. Isaiah Ramirez, Team Captain, and one of our winners from that night, had this to say about the experience; ¨We wrestled well, but we do still definitely have more to work on. We’re a very young team and we’ll get more experience in these upcoming qualifying tournaments and the next years. Most of our guys were focused, but some were distracted. I felt good but I didn’t feel great. There are things I need to work on to podium. I was satisfied with my performance, but not happy with it.” Less than a week later, Saturday, January 19th, same day as Winter Ball took place, was the Desert Sky League tournament. 8 out of 10 wrestlers sent to the league tournament qualified for the CIF central section championships. League champions include Isaiah Ramirez and Riley Garrett.