Squaring off in its first tournament of the season, the girls’ wrestling team travels to Arlington High School as they compete against up to 15 different schools in the Arlington Invite on Friday at 2:00 p.m.

“The girls are a tight knit group to begin with, they know the expectations that I’ve laid before them; my expectations are pretty simple, you give me your absolute best while you’re on the mat. When you step on the mat, don’t worry about who’s in the stands, don’t worry about anything else, just focus on what you’re doing,” head coach Cody Bridwell said. “They know this is mostly on them, I’m just a guide primarily and I’ll guide them along and push them to be their best, but we have a really strong girls’ program and I’m looking for some great things out of them.”

With each wrestler competing in anywhere from two to five matches, senior Savannah West focuses on what she needs to do prior to facing off against her opponents.

“I’m going up a weight class this year so I’m kind of nervous, but I know I can still do great as long as I use good technique,” West said. “I mentally prepare before my match by thinking through my takedowns, escapes, and pinning combos; I will also say a prayer with my best friend before our matches.”

Along with the tournament, the girls continue their grind into Thanksgiving break with practices to make sure they maintain in shape for the following week.

“There are sacrifices that have to be made as an athlete, wrestling is kind of a special sacrifice because not only do they have to come in for practices, but as an athlete in wrestling you have to watch your weight, you can’t just eat whatever you want to eat,” Bridwell said. “They know that they have to keep up on their nutrition and it’s a very disciplined sport, and if you keep up on it, life is great, if you don’t keep up on it, life gets real rough real fast.”