Wrestling is considered the oldest sport in history. It is sometimes used as entertainment but mostly it is a competitive sport. Wrestling is a combat sport comprised of grappling with an opponent, and the challenger declares victory when he is able to throw or “pin” the other down according to the rules. North Forsyth High School has a wrestling team and they are having a very successful season. The NFHS Wrestling Team won its seventh consecutive Region Dual Championship in early January which meant the team would move on to the state tournament. The state tournament was held in Macon, Georgia, the weekend of January 12-13, and the Raider Wrestling Team placed third in the state.

Mr. Montesinos, the Raider Wrestling Team Assistant Coach of nine years, gave some insight about his experiences with the NFHS Raider Wrestling Team. When asked what students have to invest to be a Raider Wrestling Team member Montesinos replied, “Time, energy, effort and intestinal fortitude. After wrestling, everything else in life is easy.”

Montesinos then went on to explain the Region Dual Championship and the role that the Raider played. “We won our seventh consecutive region title. The biggest opponent this year was ourselves.  Our team was stacked with guys who have been wrestling at a high level for a long time.  The only team that could legitimately keep us from achieving our goal, was ourselves.”

He said the experience at state was “a bit of a mixed bag. If we were going to have a shot to legitimately win a duals state title, it was this year.  We came up short, we took third. You cannot win a Duals Championship if you can’t field a complete team.  We didn’t have a full team.  However, It was nice to win our last dual match with this senior class.”

His favorite part of coaching is “2 things. 1)the connections. I get an opportunity to help others push past psychological barriers and get more out of themselves than what they thought possible. 2) I get to give back.  Wrestling has saved my life, several times. To be able to use the sport as a vessel for positive change is awesome. You wouldn’t understand it if you hadn’t wrestled.”

Wrestling seems to be a more in-depth sport than students might imagine. Mental strength is  almost, if not more, important than physical stamina against an opponent. The North Forsyth High School Wrestling Team embodies Raider Pride, and the seniors put up a good fight for their last season.