To be honest, it has taken me a while to get over it. It has taken time to even think about saying that the season is over. Living in denial, probably so. The season, in a nutshell, was crazy. ECI wrestling took the program to the next level by wrestling different teams they usually don’t get to wrestle. Individually speaking, several wrestlers performed well. Jacin Baltazar-Zamora and Jacob McBride led the team, both of which had winning records this season. Jacin recorded 27 wins this season, topping it off with a trip to state, and Jacob recorded 24 wins. Both guys led the team valiantly on and off the mat. The two-time state qualifier, Jaden Handsom, another senior, made a huge impact on the dogs by having a 27-win season. A huge junior class supported the three seniors. Gage Gay, who qualified for state this year, led the juniors with 25 wins, followed closely by Jesse Hirschy, Clayton Stripling, Gaven Simmons, and don’t forget about the underclassmen Creed Sanders, another state qualifier, and Jordan Handsom, who both had 21win seasons. Our girls were amazing, too. Destine Hirschy led the girls with 22 wins, topping her season off with a fifth-place finish at state, followed closely by Makailiegh Handsom.
The ECI Boys Wrestling team filled 12 out of 14 weight classes this year and the Girls team was able to fill five weight classes. The girls didn’t see as much action as the guys due to the sport growing in the area. They both competed well and continue to impress those they come in contact with. Being around them is like the MasterCard commercial “PRICELESS!” When we go off and compete, other people from other schools are in awe of their character, manners, and how they carry themselves as a whole. We have been to several places where we get comments about how good our wrestlers are and how well they behave, follow instructions, and listen. That is a testament to our kids, parents, and our culture at ECI. With that being said, thank you to our School Board, thank you to our School’s Leadership Mrs. Edenfield, Mr. Roberson, and Mrs. Frye, and thank you parents for raising quality character in our wrestlers at ECI.
We want to congratulate the following wrestlers for their achievements this year. Congratulations to Jacob McBride and Lillie Hammond for making the All Area 3A Academic Team with Honors. Both of them held a 4.0 GPA the entire wrestling season. 1st Team All Area 3A Gage Gay. 2nd Team All Area 3A Jacin Zamora, Jacob McBride, Jaden Handsom, and Creed Sanders. All Area 3A Female Wrestler of the Year Destine Hirschy. Finally, we want to thank our support personnel, Aliya McCoy and Katelyn Simmons, for all their work behind the scenes.
