The Solon High School (SHS) wrestling team has come back strong from the ending of their successful season in 2021-2022. This new year brought a new head coach, Mike Thompson.

Thompson has had past experience in the wrestling department, wrestling as a student in high school and throughout his college years.

“I’ve wrestled at Kenston High School and at Cleveland State University,” Thompson said. “I was at Cleveland State for three years, and now I am an electrical contractor, so I’m not an employee in the school system, I’m just a coach here. But, I started here with Coach DiGiovanni in 1993 and was his assistant, [and I] coached his kids and both my boys. My boys had wrestled here and they each won three state titles which is pretty awesome.”

Being a new year, Thompson is trying to strengthen his wrestlers’ skills that they lacked last year and prepare them to do their best at meets. He wants his team to trust not just him and the other coaches, but to also build their confidence.

“[I want to] get them to buy into what we are teaching because I am a new coach for them,” Thompson said. “We call it ‘Drinking the Kool Aid’ which means just to buy into what me and the other coaches are teaching. And to just be better in the [wrestling room] and out of the room, to be better students and gentlemen.”

Sophomore wrestler, Frank Aquila, went into detail of how he and his team usually train themselves.

“We usually start everyday with about a half hour run and when we get back to the room we get into stretching lines,” Aquila said. “Then, we do about an hour and a half of drilling and then usually we have two to three live matches, some situational demonstrations and then we finish out with a jog or sprints.”

Practices not only prepare the wrestlers for matches, but also for bigger goals.

Senior wrestler, Malakhi Sharpley stated his goal is to place in the top three at states.

“In order to achieve that I have to go to a place I haven’t been to before, and I think I’m capable of that,” Sharpley said.

Confidence is another thing that many wrestlers struggle with. They overwhelm themselves with the flaws that they believe that they have, and that affects their performance on the mat.

“Last year my coach took my confidence and improved it very well. I used to struggle with that a lot, so I’m going to take it and use it in all of my matches and improve,” Junior wrestler Aiden Hays said.
Before the Comet Classic, wrestlers were asked if they were prepared, and they believed they were.

“Oh definitely,” said Sharpley. “I’m always prepared for anything that they throw at me, the work we put in the room and the work we put outside of the room, we will be ready for any situation that transpires in the Comet Classic. You’ll see me on top, number one.”

Sharpley proved he was right. He placed first at the Comet Classic and the SHS wrestling team placed third overall.

The SHS Wrestling Team will go against Perry High School on Dec. 21 at SHS.