CRAWFORDVILLE, Fla. (WTXL) — The WHS Wrestling team is using hard work and passion to make it to the top. In 14 weight classes, WHS has a student in 10 of them ranking in the top 25 for the state of Florida.
- 10 WHS wrestlers are in the top 25 for their weight class.
- The students are honored to be there, but all that matters to them is that they get to pursue their passion.
- Watch the video below to meet two of these top wrestlers.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"It's the thing you have to put your whole life into. And if you do that, you can be great," said senior Clayton Manzi, who's currently ranked 25th in the 165 category.
6 seniors, 1 junior, and 3 sophomores are currently representing Wakulla High School as their classes' top 25 wrestlers for the state. Out of the 14 weight classes, there's a student in 10 of them.
"It feels amazing. I mean, obviously, I, myself, put in quite a bit of time and effort into the sport," said senior William Harvey, who's ranked 6th in the 126 category. "I go to a lot of stuff over the summer, make weight constantly, just come in every day with the mindset of getting better and making myself the best me I can be."
Harvey says that this sport has helped him become better on and off the mat.
"I pride myself on my hard work, and I just really enjoy putting in hard work," said Harvey.
Clayton Manzi, who's also in the top 25 for his category, only started about 2 years ago. He says he's proud of how far he's come.
"Well, my experience, I started when I was a sophomore in high school," said Manzi. "And when I started, I was not very good. But I just worked really hard to get where I am today. And I just worked over that time just to get better."
Their coach is proud of every student for their effort, not just for him and the team, but for themselves.
"I think the personal drive, their goals, what they want in life, how much work they put into it, they do it to win," explained Nate Litowsky, the head coach of WHS wrestling. "You don't go out there to lose, but all the work that you do is why they try so hard."
Harvey, who has been wrestling since 8th grade, is now preparing to go to the next level, and he's been talking with some colleges already.
"I do a lot of work outside of season. I go to a lot of summer tournaments nationally. I went to a couple in Ohio and North Carolina this summer," explained Harvey. "So, those were big for me, trying to qualify for nationals and whatnot and get in front of coaches all over the country. It's difficult, but I think it's worth it."
The regular season goes into March, and then they'll still have some postseason fun. Harvey and Manzi say they're looking forward to it.
All the students in the top 25 for their weight classes:
106- Sophmore #11 Brayden Hodges
120- Junior #7 Matthew Thaxton
126- Senior #6 William Harvey
132- Sophmore #16 Patrick Cooksey
138- Senior #4 Brady Jackson
144- Senior #4 Aaron Robinson
150- Senior #12 Troy Thaxton
157- Sophmore #20 Colt Sanders
165- Senior #25 Clayton Manzi
215- Senior #7 Blake Barodte
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