By Jessica Almario
News Editor

   After triumphantly claiming it last year, UC High’s Varsity Wrestling Team is aiming to defend their Western League title.
Coach Eddie Hernandez has been coaching the Wrestling Team since 2008. However, it is his first year teaching at UC High. Prior to this, he taught at Hoover High. Hernandez said that there are advantages to being able to work on campus. “Being on campus is the biggest change. I like it, I’m here, and I’m able to talk to people about the sport who have had misconceptions about it,” said Hernandez.
According to Hernandez, the team is bigger this year than it has been in previous years. “There’s definitely a bigger team. We have a good amount of freshmen and sophomores, and our junior and senior lineup is pretty stacked,” said Junior Sean Gonzales.
Junior Hunter Phillips is confident  that the team will be able to achieve their goal of winning Western League once again. “We’ve got a lot of returning wrestlers this year, so we have good numbers,” said Phillips. According to Hernandez, the large team can be seen as an advantage because the next person is ready to go in case of any injuries.
Although there are a fair amount of returning wrestlers, there are plenty of newcomers on the team. Junior Jake Jones is looking forward to his first year on the Wrestling Team. He expressed his own individual goal. “I’d like to have a winning record for my first year,” said Jones.
According to Phillips, since the season has not yet started, the team has been hard at work practicing in the activity room every day after school. “We start training right when the season ends,” said Gonzales.
Captain Steven Quan expressed what he personally wants to achieve. “I want to place in the tournaments this year,” said Quan.
Saints would be considered as a rival team, according to Phillips. The team is remaining optimistic for the upcoming season and will give their all to defend their title. Gonzales stated that he would consider Madison as a rival team. “We’re looking to beat Madison this year and Saints as well,” said Gonzales.
The team’s impressive record could be attributed to their hard work and the strong bond they share as a team. “The stronger the team, the better,” stated Hernandez.