Written by Kathryn Burke, Staff Writer
Wrestling’s senior night against Arlington was on Wednesday, January 13th 2026, bringing the community together to celebrate all the hard work and dedication our seniors put in throughout the years.
The night started with our Poly seniors receiving gift baskets, goodie bags, and flowers as a congratulations for their effort and responsibility to the sport. Next to the bleachers, wrestling moms were serving at the confession stand, showing their love and support for their athletes. The stands were packed with enthusiastic parents and peers. Throughout the night the crowd was on the edge of their seats, wondering how our wrestlers were gonna get out of sticky situations. Our wrestlers used excellent techniques engraved into them from practices, and rained victorious- 57:23. We talked to seniors after their matches, wanting to know what was going through their head as they had just had one of their last matches.
Senior Interviews:
Charlotte Rogan has wrestled for four years and notes that while it is stressful, “it is a learning experience”. Although she doesn’t see herself continuing wrestling further, she ensures that being able to help and support the underclassmen as captain meant a lot to her.
Ryan Sanchez has wrestled for six years and is also the captain. He expresses that it “has its ups and downs”. Despite it all, he admits that it was really fun to get on the mats and be with his teammates, winning. Ryan hopes to receive a scholarship to continue wrestling. He shares that his favorite memory of wrestling was taking 3rd at a Rual Huerta tournament.
Levi Jenchi wrestled for four years, admitting that the sport is rough, especially when you can’t eat. He specified that it was important to him to stay with the team and that spending time with the community was a moment he would hold close to his heart.
Jonathan Garcia wrestled for three years, describing the sport as consistent! Always putting in the time and effort to improve. Although he shows a love for the sport, he most likely won’t continue after highschool. Jonathan shared that he values his practices along with the friends and the environment.
Later on in the night we asked some wrestlers what they would tell those wanting to join the sport, wondering what experiences and lessons they would get from the sport.
Wrestler Interviews:
Bryce Thompson has stayed consistent in wrestling for six years. He advises to those pondering joining to sport, to “just do it, if you don’t like it than don’t do it”. He expressed that waking up everyday to chase a goal is part of the wrestling experience. A memorable moment for him throughout this sport was pinning a kid in league he previously lost to.
Olivia McPherson a very new wrestler of just two weeks, but have previously done jujitsu, shared that she got recommended to join the sport by the coach. While her other sports pushed her passed her limits, teaching her that she’s more capable than she thinks, wrestling specifically showed her that she is much stronger than she thought.
At the end of the night we pulled coach Emma to ask a little about her experiences with wrestling and coaching. Coach Emma has wrestled since she was eight years old, noting that a memorable experience was going to CIF for the first time as a sophomore. She acknowledges that it is very important as a wrestler to “eat smart, think smart”, and to always work on technique. Not only does coach Emma love the sport itself, but she shared that coaching has allowed her to share the love and knowledge for the sport, “making [her] heart happy”. Coach Emma described this season in one word: Grit!
Our athletes put in a tremendous amount of effort, leaving their stamp on the mat! Poly can’t wait to see our wrestlers performance at league!