For the 2025-2026 season, the Fair Grove Eagles are back on the mat for the beginning of their second year of wrestling.
In this early segment of the season, the wrestling team is focused on getting both returners and new wrestlers up to speed with the game. Head coach Chris Holt stated, “We are working hard on fundamentals, conditioning, hand fighting, and a few go to moves.”
Since this season is the second in Fair Grove history, it is the first time that there are returners helping out with the new players. Assistant Coach, Natalie Palomo, noted, “Having a season under their belt means they’ve got a level of experience that was impossible to have had last year. They’re doing a great job helping our newbies and getting everyone on the team more comfortable with what to expect.”
This year’s team has a total of 37 wrestlers made up of 22 boys and 15 girls who are showing excitement for their upcoming tournaments. One of the new members of the team, Maggie Johnson (9), shared, “I am really looking forward to this season because it will be my first ever match. I am so ready to push myself and work hard to get my team the win.”
Returner, Brylee Mallard (11), added, “I look forward to seeing how we will grow in wrestling and come together as a team. I am also excited to cheer on my team.”
Each and every person, coaches and players, each have their goals for the season. Johnson and Mallard’s goals are to gain more muscle, win a few matches, and to improve themselves overall. Holt and Palomo’s goals are to provide a way to help newcomers feel comfortable with the sport and to help individuals with their specialties.
“Our goal is to pick a few basics to get really good at. Rather than get the whole team to be great at everything, we want each wrestler to feel very confident with a few basics,” explained Palomo
Because the program is still new, there have been some hiccups along the way with challenges in mental strength and details in skill moves. Johnson stated, “Some challenges I think everyone has faced on the team is mental strength. I believe that wrestling is one of the most mentally challenging sports out there, and the team has been working very hard to keep up their mental strength.”
From the coaches perspective Palomo positively shared, “Even with one year down, we’re still a new team, with a lot of inexperience compared to others, but I believe our drive will more than make up for that.”
Despite these hurdles, the team and coaches feel positively about the season and are ready to take on the next challenge.
Both the boys and girls will have their next match on December 16th at Strafford.
