Season begins in Iowa for Liberty wrestling

“We don’t talk a whole lot about winning a state title as a team,” he said. “We try to focus individually. We know that each individual might have a different goal. We want to get them to that goal. If we can get each individual to that goal, the team stuff will figure itself out.”

One of those individuals with lofty goals is junior Hunter Taylor. The standout wrestler won the individual title state championship last year in the 113-pound weight class. This year, he will move up to the 120-pound weight class. The biggest thing for Taylor is watch what he eats, he said.

“Nutrition, instead of being 4 pounds over and cutting it down in two days, I just need to be better on the weight,” he said. “My mentality and keeping a winning mindset, too.”

Big tournaments are on the horizon for the Blue Jays and there are 23 freshman on the roster. This allows for plenty of learning from the coaching staff and upperclassmen.

A baptism by fire will begin this weekend for the Blue Jays as they head to their first tournament in Iowa City, Iowa. Brewer enjoys bringing his roster across state lines to different tournaments. He believes they are a great way to better the individual wrestler and give the team proper exposure.

“The competition is incredible, they get to see the toughest wrestlers in the country,” Brewer said. “A lot of these tournaments have college coaches at them. They get to be seen and a lot of the rankings are based off of these tournaments. We get to see what we can do and it benefits them a ton.”

The girls' team boasts a roster of 14 wrestlers. Julia and Jaden Breeden are a set of twin wrestlers in the junior class. Sandy and Lilly Breeden are the second pair of twins. They join their older sisters as freshmen on the team.

"They have worked really hard so far," Brewer said. "We looking to get into some tough competition and see how they do. These first three weeks is tough because we are just beating up each other."

Jaden finished in third place last year at the state championship meet in the 105-pound weight class. Julia made the podium, too. She earned sixth place in the 120-pound division. Seniors Alexis Ritchie and Madison Buell make their return as well. These two have been high-quality wrestlers and have hopes of making the state tournament this upcoming season.

The Blue Jays will head to the Dan Gable Donnybrook wrestling tournament in Iowa City, Iowa on Thursday, Dec. 1. The three-day tournament will end on Saturday, Dec. 3.