Although not the best match, the atmosphere of Senior Night was a good one. Freshman Jacob Kretschmann took a win early on, as well as Junior Otto Kellner, but the rest were lost to Hilmar’s Yellowjackets. Ripon High School lost many but didn’t lose its supportive crowd.
When asked to describe the night in one word Junior Kate Villegas said, “I would say supportive. I really like seeing my friends wrestle, because they talk about the sport and how much fun it is… so seeing them wrestle… and being able to congratulate them is really exciting for me.”
A lot of the people who are currently the wrestling team are just beginning. They do their best and enjoy being a part of such a great group. Senior Jacob Curless describes things he likes about his team.

“One thing I can take pride in is that we are just like a family. We are so close, and love to mess around with each other. We can definitely work on our pace and practice, but that’s in every sport,” said Curless.

One of the biggest events was Senior Night. Marissa Hernandez and Melissa Perez were called up for an acknowledgment. Melissa did wrestling for three and track for four years, qualifying for masters her first year. Marissa is a four-year wrestler and a two-time master qualifier.
“It’s nice because I put a lot of work in for the sport. To be here for four years, it’s really nice,” Hernandez said.
In the end, Coach White walked around motivating his wrestlers, being supportive of their triumphant efforts. He expressed his thoughts both on his opponent and his team.
“The match [last at home] means a lot. We have a lot of kids who haven’t wrestled before, and they’re learning a lot but when you try to wrestle experienced guys, it’s a little bit tough to do… I think [Hilmar] is going to be the top team in the league. They’ve got a lot of returning starters from last year… and kids with a lot of experience and really good technique,” said Coach White.