The Elder wrestlers are rolling as their last month of wrestling comes around and they are satisfied with what they have accomplished yet eager for more. On Wednesday, February 4, the wrestlers were able to do something no other wrestling team has done at Elder; they won regionals in the team duals format and beat Moeller twice in one season.

After beating rivals Colerain and LaSalle in dominating fashion in round one of the State Team duals, the wrestlers were right back on the mat the next week to face off against more talented teams in Harrison and Moeller. Harrison was no match for the panthers and they headed into the regional finals against rival Moeller. Moeller is known for having a solid wrestling team year after year and is always putting wrestlers on the podium in the State Tournament. Elder wrestling has already done something very rare this season in beating Moeller once and to beat them twice in one season would be something no Elder Wrestling team has done before. That the Panthers did just that on Wednesday, February 4. The Panthers made history as they advanced over Moeller in a tightly contested 37-31 victory over the Crusaders to advance in the tournament.

This Saturday, February 14, the Panthers will be competing at Saint John’s arena in Columbus with the other champions in their individual region. The Panthers took the sixth seed and will face off against a Brecksville Broadview Heights high school who is seeded third. The winner, Brecksville or Elder, will wrestle the returning state champions Massillon Perry. Senior Captain told me, “We are going to take it one step at a time. Brecksville is a tough team and it’s going to take every guy on our team to battle for six minutes in order to get this win. Then, we will worry about Massillon Perry.” Later going on to say, “I’m very proud of our guys no matter what happens, we worked hard all year long and I’m happy with what we have accomplished, but I think we’re all still hungry for more.”

Elder wrestling is just one of eight teams that have made their way to the finals along with Mason from the Cincinnati area. Elder, having a younger team with some old wrestlers makes it a great combination of talent and leadership, while looking very promising in the years to come. Head Coach Jason Roush is just in his second year at Elder, and is quickly filling in the shoes of former long time coach Dick McCoy and is on track for leaving his own legacy at Elder high school.

Across the board, senior to freshman, all the wrestlers are wrestling hard and with a purpose that Coach Roush instilled since day one – to mentally break the opponent. The Panthers are on a roll and are currently 13-0 in team duals entering this tournament. Winning is something that comes along with hard work and discipline and these wrestlers know both.

Adjusting to new coaches has been a change throughout the whole program, but we all knew Coach Roush meant business right from the start. Business indeed as he gets the wrestlers ready for something not many coaches get to experience in their careers.