By: Logan Jaquay

As the holidays near and winter sports get under way, wrestling and boys basketball are excited to showcase their hard work. For wrestling team, they look to build on a very strong season last year and accomplish something that’s never been done in Eisenhower wrestling history. The boys basketball team looks to overcome the challenge of losing a very strong senior class that they had last year. This year, both teams will have some raw talent in their lineups that didn’t see playing time last year and will look to make the best of the new opportunities.

 The Squire met up with some hard-working athletes to ask them about the season. We caught up with senior wrestler and team leader, Alex Barnett, as well as basketball captains, juniors, Drew Williams and Jared Martone.

The wrestling team has some large goals this season as they try to make Eisenhower history. Alex shared with The Squire that they plan on making the D10 finals and heading to Hershey for team states. He also explained to us that hard work, dedication, and embracing the grind will get them to where they want to be as a team. Alex noted that they were missing a few spots in the lineup, but they had good quality men in the lineup to overcome these missing spots. Alex said, “We need to work as a team and get bonus points when we need to and fight to not give up bonus points and find a way to win key matches.” Alex also discussed the opponents that will prove to be challenging this season, “Falconer and Union City will be our toughest competition this season and to beat them we will have to be brutal and win key matches.” Being one to the leaders on the team, along with Ethan Chambers, Garret Head, Josh Bortz, and Logan Jaquay, Alex shows strong work ethic and motivation. Alex also noted that the team wants you, the fans, to come out and support the state ranked wrestling team at every home and away match.

As for boys basketball, they are trying to find a way to overcome the loss of the strong senior class they had last year. A realistic goal for them is to go .500 and make the playoffs. Martone and Williams said they would accomplish this goal by “grinding at practice, keeping their heads cool, and communicating well as a team.” When asked about their strengths and weaknesses, Jared replied, “we have low numbers,” but Drew said that their biggest strength is “playing well as a team.” The team is hoping more kids join the team to get their numbers up and to build up on their team connections. Jared and Drew noted that their biggest competition this season will be Cochranton and Union City. They explained, “To beat these teams we need to mix up our defense and play keep away on offense.” Being the two captains on the team, they have a strategy to motivate their teammates, as Drew shared, “I like to tear the kids down and let Jared build them back up with strong motivation.” Lastly, Drew and Jared would like everyone to come out and support them and join the team if you are interested in basketball.

The Squire wants to wish both the teams the best of luck with their season. To stay up to date with all the action in boys sports, follow The Squire on Twitter and Instagram. Also, be sure to watch the W-IKE News show for updates and interviews throughout the season.