In the vibrant world of sports, Jamesville-DeWitt High school brings excitement, energy, and dedication to wrestling and cheer. With hard work and determination from students, these sports fall under the category of some of the most underrated sports at J-DHS.
Wrestling is a combat sport that offers three different styles. Wrestling uses freestyle, free rowling, and folk style. Folk style is the style most often used at J-DHS and other high schools across America since folk style rewards control. The objective in folk style wrestling is to gain control of the opponent’s positioning to gain an advantage. After gaining advantage of the opponent’s positioning you can earn points, and whoever earns the most points in a match wins. In wrestling, players will go against an opponent in the same weight class as them to ensure fair competition by matching wrestlers of similar size and weight against each other. J-DHS offers up to 13 different weight classes for boys and 12 weight classes for girls. J-DHS also shares a wrestling team with Christian Brothers Academy, Solvay, and West Hill.
“Wrestling is a very enjoyable sport since I got to meet plenty of new people who share the same interests as me,” said Junior Carl Richardson. Richardson joined wrestling because wrestling coach Paul Leblanc convinced him to do wrestling since he thought he would be good at it. Richardson said that the hardest opponent for him so far was against Central Square since they have a good wrestling team.
To qualify for sectionals in high school wrestling, wrestlers typically need to perform well in regular-season matches and tournaments. Coaches usually take into account a wrestler’s overall record. If the student’s record is good, they’ll be qualified for the double A sectionals which is three rounds. If the student does well in these three rounds, they’ll advance to the double Y tournament. If you’re one of the top five in your division, you’ll win the tournament. Eleven students from the J-DHS wrestling team have been selected for sectionals.
“I joined wrestling because it challenges me both physically and mentally, and I love the sense of accomplishment after a tough match,” said sophomore Joshua Cole. Cole joined wrestling because he and his friend both thought it would be a good sport to play in their free time. Cole said that the hardest match for him so far was against Liverpool and Fulton since their team had unique strategies.
The cheer team at J-D, like the wrestling team, has build a strong fanbase for itself. Cheerleading is a team activity in which elements of dance and acrobatics are combined with shouted slogans for their team as a form of encouragement. Cheerleading routines typically range anywhere from one to three minutes.
To qualify for cheer sectionals, you have to place first, second, or third place at two competitions to get into sectionals. If you don’t qualify for sectionals, you’ll be placed into leagues which are a step down from sectionals. You’ll go against other neighboring schools teams who are in your schools division.
“I joined cheer because it seemed like an enjoyable activity and an excellent way to utilize my time productively,” said senior Malik Watson. Watson has been cheering since his freshman year. Over the years, he has honed his skills, participated in numerous competitions, and experienced the thrill of performing at school events
“I joined cheer because my older sister participated during her senior year, and it seemed really fun,” said sophomore Gabriella Pontello. This is her first year participating in cheerleading, and she is excited to follow in her sisters footsteps while creating her own unique experiences.
