By Drew Dargavell, WKTV Sports Intern
ken@wktv.org
The Wyoming Lee Rebels this season were wrestling district champions for the first time in their program’s history.
While some may see this as a true underdog story — and it was for a very small program which had to resort to practicing in the basement of a church, to which the kids had to walk three quarters of a mile, because the school did not have any extra facilities for them to practice at. But, for the wrestlers, it was all hard work and determination.
To win the district title, the Rebels took out Hudsonville Unity Christian in the first round, 50-29. Then in the district final, it seemed like all hope was lost when they were trailing 36-12 against Wyoming Kelloggsville with five matches to go.
The Rebels were then able to win their next four matches to tie it up at 36, with senior Enrique Moreno-Martinez up in the final match. And he was in the right frame of mind for the task.
“What I was thinking in my head was ‘This is it, this could finally be the district title we need and that we want’,” Moreno-Martinez said to WKTV. And he won the match.
Another big factor in the Rebel’s title was junior Mike Beasley, who scored for his team in both matches and eventually finished in third place in individual districts.
“I put the work in and I know my team has,” Beasley said. “But I am just going to have to work harder and harder.”
Lee head coach James Maxim was, understandably, very proud of his team’s dedication this season.
“They wrestle for the team more than anything else,” he said. “Win, lose, or draw, they’re always on the corner, supporting each other, that’s what’s so cool about these kids.”
Maxim said they couldn’t have done this without assistant coach Flavio Gomez, who realized the history of the Rebels winning the district title.
“Knowing that we had managed to make history happen, I was so happy,” Gomez said. “I had never felt any happier in my whole wrestling career.”
Wyoming Lee ended up losing in the first round of regional play to Comstock Park, but they still walked away from the season with their heads held high and history made.
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