The Skyline Wrestling Team found a surprisingly large degree of success for such a young team in the 2023-2024 season, finishing 4-6. “We had a pretty good team last year,” said Skyline Wrestling Head Coach Jim Mason. “[This team] is better because we are so young. Most of our team is freshmen, which is pretty cool.”

Even with so many wrestlers new to the sport, Mason made sure to challenge the team to get the most out of them. “We have got probably one of the toughest schedules in the state of Michigan for a high school program,” said Mason. “It’s just the way I believe in competing.”

The team certainly embraced every opportunity Mason gave them to improve. “The team grew a lot, you know, not just the size of the team but the people on the team.  Everyone improved a lot,” said Peter Werns (‘27). “We got some new wrestlers throughout the season, not just at the beginning, and everyone just got a lot better.”

During winter break, while most students were just happy enough to have a break from school, the wrestling team continued to practice and prepare for the remainder of the season. “My favorite moment [of the season] was practicing over Christmas break,” said team captain Connor Gillilland (‘25).

A few wrestlers were also able to shine in the spotlight, and perform under all the pressure that comes with competing in the postseason. “In districts … I wrestled Pioneer’s team captain, who is a senior, and I pinned him in the first period,” said Peter Werns (‘27). “That was really exciting.“

Although the season is already over, the team is still looking for more students to wrestle next year. “It doesn’t matter if you know anything about the sport,” said Mason. “We’ll teach you how to do it.”