HC witnessed a spectacular season from both the boys’ and girls’ wrestling teams. The program’s influence expanded across the city, ranging from their boys’ team being city champions for the second year in a row, to our girls’ having an undefeated state champion. Coach Andy Critchfield and High School All-American Winner Sianni Appolon offer an inside look at how their team has grown to this point.
Reflecting on the competitive growth within the program, Critchfield shared the statistics behind the boys’ year.
“[Our boys’ team] took third at the regional tournament,” Critchfield said. “We qualified eight wrestlers to go to state. The previous year, we only had four qualifiers, we doubled that number [this year.]”
This impressive streak continued from their previous year, where the team gained their dominance by holding the city champions title. Maintaining the high level of intensity proved to be a challenge the boys rose to meet, successfully defending their position at the top throughout the season.
“As a team, we qualified for the state dual championships for the second year in a row,” Critchfield said. “That meant that we were the second best team, the top two in our section.”
While the boys’ team solidified their reputation through their collective effort, the girls’ team provided a reel of their own, led by a monumental performance from their graduating senior and two-time state champion.
“Appolon went undefeated this year again, 24-0,” Critchfield said. “[She] won her second state title, [and] she made the semifinals at Nashville.”
Looking towards the future, Appolon remains humble about her accomplishments and focused on her next chapter. She speaks about her experience as a champion and her intentional plans for the future in college.
“I am going to focus on my academics a lot more,” Appolon says. “I am going to work harder [with wrestling] and get even better.”
This aspiration following her high school career shows deep dedication and a clear reason why Appolon has made it so far in her sport. Her commitment to both the classroom and the mat serves as a definitive roadmap for the next generation of HC wrestlers.
As the final whistle blows on this season, it is clear that HC Wrestling has been more than just winning matches – they have established a standard of excellence. The success of the wrestling program this year has become a point of immense pride for the entirety of HC. As HC moves forward, the achievements of this season will surely serve as a benchmark for years to come, reminding everyone at HC that with enough hard work, no goal is out of reach.
