The Oviedo High School wrestling team has officially started its season and completed its preseason matchups. The regular season is now beginning, and the team participated in its first two tournaments. On Wednesday, December 4, the team competed in the Seminole County Scuffle, and on Saturday, December 7, it competed in its first Varsity tournament. Oviedo High School hosted both events and matched up against several teams from Seminole County.
Before their tournaments, the wrestling team competed in an orange and black preseason duel on November 21st. In this matchup, the team would go against their own teammates, who were divided into two teams. This event was aimed at helping prepare the athletes for the challenging physical activity that they would endure during each wrestling match.
This was an exciting time for the wrestlers, as they were able to compete against their own teammates in a competitive and energetic environment.
“It’s pretty fun seeing your friends and teammates go against each other, and seeing big upsets,” said senior wrestler Yosef Mohaisen. “If you’re going against a teammate who’s close to your skill, it can definitely improve your wrestling, and give you a great match before the season starts.”
The team then participated in the Seminole County Scuffle, which was a tournament for Oviedo’s JV and girls wrestling team. The girls team competed very well and placed third overall in the tournament, having multiple girls go undefeated. Senior team captain Delaney Graves was very happy with how the girl team is competing, and is continuing to grow as a leader for them.
“As team captain, my main responsibility is to be there for my girls, and make sure everyone is in line and on weight,” said Graves, “There’s a lot of mental challenges for wrestling, it’s not just physical, so just being there for them to vent out or express themselves is important.”
During their varsity tournament, the team went against Wekiva High School for their first duel. The team beat Wekiva 55-29, with junior team captain Douglas (Dougie) Dowda getting a pin in his match. This tournament was a great way to start the season for him, and he is expecting to accomplish big things during the season.
“I went 3-0 during the tournament, and I got a pin and a tech in my matches,” said Dowda, “I hope to win 30 matches this season, make states, and of course place there as well.”
In their next duel, the team continued their run by beating East River High School 56-15. Sophomore wrestler Jimmy Godwin who went 3-0 overall on the day, attributed the team’s success in this match to the team’s togetherness.
“Me and the team did very well at the tournament, and I think we showed a lot of team spirit throughout the day,” said Godwin. “It’s going to be a lot of fun to see how the team grows from here, and continue to get closer to each other”
In the final match of the day, the team shut out Seminole High School beating them 68-0. Every wrestler, including Yosef Mohaisen, won their duel in this matchup. Mohaisen won all of his matches on the day but was disappointed with how he performed in the first two matches. He ended off the day with a great win against Seminole and has shown his growth each year he’s wrestled.
“To be honest, I don’t think I wrestled well in my first 2 matches and just used force to beat them, but for my final match of the day I beat a pretty solid heavyweight who was around 60 lbs heavier than me,” said Mohaisen. “ I started wrestling with really no idea of where I’d end up, so saying I have a chance at placing at states is a huge jump from what I would’ve said my freshman year.”
The Oviedo Lions wrestling team had a successful week, with each team getting great wins throughout their tournaments. The team is now preparing for a matchup at Deltona High School on Saturday, December 14. These matchups will help the wrestlers prepare for states and regionals, where they’d be going against even tougher competition. There’s a long season ahead of them, but the team is making great progress and hopes to continue their hot run.
