FHS is able to boast that seven wrestlers qualified for the Class 3 state competition following an extremely successful season. Head coach and special education teacher, Chad Hoffman, said, “These wrestlers worked hard and put a lot of commitment and time into their sports to get where they are now.” The team finished fourth at the Region 3B meet, with five wrestlers on the team being one match short from placing in the top eight. Then, at states, sophomore Brian Bland placed sixth. Bland has been wrestling for two years and ended the season with a positive record this year. “I found wrestling could make me a better person,” said Bland. He stated that his coaches have been a big part of his success, saying, “I will miss Coach Hoffman. I feel him leaving is a shot to the heart.”
Hoffman has been coaching at FHS for five years, and he is sadly stepping down at the end of the season this year. There are six other coaches assisting Hoffman, and it is expected that one of them will step up into his position in the future. Hoffman reflected on his final season coaching the team, saying, “We had a lot of big expectations for the kids, and they really hit their stride come postseason.”
One of these successful students was Junior Cole McAndrew, who also qualified for states after coming in third in the 138 lbs weight class at regionals. It was McAndrews’ first year attending that level of competition, and he said that something that helped him get to states was “help from my friends and family, [they] kind of pushed me to push myself.” Other students saw positive results as well earlier in the season. At the regional meet, sophomore Sal Sorrentio and freshman Evan Solada both placed fourth in their respective weight classes, and senior Bryan Mpengo was third in the 150 lbs weight class. Senior Kobe Link was the regional champion in the 175 lbs weight class, and Charlie Lovell placed second in the 215 lbs weight class. Hoffman was extremely proud of how these wrestlers competed, saying, “I remember the kids hadn’t stepped onto a mat until they were fourteen and watching them from then to now is just a huge change. Seeing them progress in the right directions has been pretty amazing.”
