Wrestling hits the mat Wednesday with matchups against Northwest High School and Princeton High School at 5:30 p.m. at The Nest. 

Northwest High School won the Regional Championships on both the boys’ and girls’ teams’ last year, so preparation to face them has been a long time coming.

“The teams have been practicing since October in preparation for the season,” co-head coach Arman Mansouri said. “The team is very young but promising.I am expecting tough matches and for tonight to be a great learning experience for our kids. We have some great opportunities to notch some high-quality wins for our individuals, and we are very excited for this upcoming competition.”

Although the team is young, the Redhawks see these early meets as development for later in the season.

“We’re going to be tested for sure but we have some vets that I am hoping step up tonight with their leadership,” co-head coach Justin Koons said. “The difference is going to come from our youth. We are high on our young guns but also know they are still developing and have a lot to learn. However, if we can win a couple of those matches and keep the points close it’s going to give us a shot. No matter the outcome I am expecting the team to get out there and give it their best. I told them this past weekend: No one wins a state championship in the first week of the season.”

For junior Ryan Shapiro, staying consistent and learning from previous matches will be key to success on Wednesday

“So we have been preparing by going through an array of stuff and drilling moves that we need to work on from last week’s tournament,” Shapiro said. “Stuff that we go over regularly and getting our conditioning up as well and preparing for what they are going to do to us.”

According to Koons, the team is focusing on mental preparation for Wednesday.

“We’ve put in a ton of work in already preparing for competition and I think we’re as ready as we can be physically. Match day tends to be more mental preparation more than anything,” Koons said. “Wednesday we will have our captains meeting followed by our team meeting and discuss situational things that we need to be aware of. Duals are completely different than tournaments. Each match is important, not necessarily by winning and losing but more on how you win and lose. Understanding that aspect is going to be important.”