How North Henderson girls' wrestling team forged bonds that led to state championship
Wrestling is viewed as an individual sport by most. But the North Henderson girls’ wrestling team sees it differently.
“They wrestle for each other,” coach John Williams said. “They love each other. They wrestle hard for each other. They laugh together. They cry together. They just like to work hard. They care about each other so much.”
He said the whole team stands at the edge of the mat, cheering and screaming when one of their teammates is competing at meets.
It’s why the Knights have found success this season. They are 7-2 and claimed first place as a team at the NCHSAA Invitational's West Regional they hosted last Thursday. They’ll vie for the team state championship thanks to the five wrestlers who qualified for states individually this weekend.
Wrestling can be a taxing sport mentally and physically. Williams added that the team is great at picking each other up when they aren’t feeling it.
“They’re real good at picking each other up and making each other laugh and just including everyone all the time,” Williams said.
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The Knights were also able to bond during the offseason when they traveled to West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and Florida for tournaments.
“You get on a bus and you ride 10 hours to Indianapolis,” Williams said. “You’re gonna be friends or hate each other by the end. They are real good at being friends by the end.”
Wrestlers Liliana Zapote (107 pounds) and Francesca Morales (165 pounds) said they sing a lot on those bus rides. They sing anything from Disney to country to Bruno Mars.
Zapote and Morales are two of North Henderson’s best. They qualified for states along with teammates Ariana Flores (185 pounds), Gracie Short (100 pounds) and Raigan Loudermilk (114 pounds).
Williams said Zapote stands out because of her fierceness on the mat.
“She wants to win, and she has a drive and a passion,” Williams said. “And whatever she does, she wants to do it to the best of her ability and that comes out whenever she wrestles.”
He said Morales has this grace about her when she wrestles.
“Whenever you watch her wrestle, she doesn’t seem to be working that hard,” Williams said. “But she is completely outworking everyone she wrestles against. She knows what she wants and she’s going to go take it.”
Zapote and Morales said they enjoy wrestling because it gives them confidence.
“It just makes me feel empowered and strong,” Morales said.
However, the lights are getting brighter and brighter for the Knights as they advance deeper into the postseason.
Williams said he is telling the team to keep doing what has been done all season long.
“I told them to remember why they love it (wrestling) and just try their best and that everything else is gonna work out,” Williams said. “Win or lose, they’re gonna be fine because they’re gonna wrestle their best, they’re gonna wrestle their hardest because they are wrestling for each other.”
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: North Henderson girls' wrestling succeed by wrestling for each other
