Reagan Bradshaw
Staff Writer
On January 10 in the ACHS gym “The Garden,” the AC Titan wrestling team won the Alexandria City Championship while facing off against wrestlers from St. Stephens and St. Agnes School (SSSAS), Bishop Ireton (BI) and Episcopal High School. This meet was also senior night for the AC Titans, where we celebrated our four senior wrestlers: Will Damond, Wish Denby, Bassem Sliti and Calvin Wiedemer along with senior managers Kate Harbour and Jasmine Marshall.
The Titans crushed their competition in all three matches: 42-30 over BI, 33-25 over SSSAS and 42-36 over Episcopal.
Sliti, who has been practicing mixed martial arts for around nine years, said that he started wrestling so that he could learn valuable skills. “It [has helped] me have the tools to defend against takedowns and even maintain dominant positions on the ground in order to be a pro-MMA fighter,” he said.
Damond, one of two co-captains, says he was drawn to the team because of its community.
“The team is a family, and we all push each other to become the best wrestlers we can be— on and off the mat,” he said.
Wiedemer, the other co-caption, said he also appreciates the relationship between the team members.
“[I love] the brotherhood in the team that comes from working hard in practice,” he said.
Sliti shared the same sentiment: “We are not just a team. We’re a family. We respect, trust and offer support for each other,” he said.
Featured image: Wiedemer, right, takes down an opponent from Bishop Ireton.
All photos by Reagan Bradshaw for Theogony
