A new year rings in another season of opportunity. The great Thomas Alva Edison once said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Tell that to this year’s group of Garfield wrestlers and they will let out a collective “amen.” The Garfield wrestling team, while not fully formed, is a blue collar, hard working group. The team is coached by J.L. Williams and assistant Darby Haskins. On the mat they are led by senior captains Lewis Wilson and Caleb Hecker.

Lewis Wilson is a monster. He can bench press 325 pounds, or nearly three Quin McKinleys. He is training for a UFC fight on December 8th, in addition to the wrestling season, and has been given the nickname of “lethal” because of it.

He trains like a prize-fighter, he’s in the gym non-stop, and he finished a team-best 5th last year at districts in the 285 pound weight division. This year he takes on a co-captain role that has come from four years of hard work in the wrestling program. Wilson says his role is comprised of talking to the coaches about what workouts to do, and then following that up by leading the team in the workouts.

“I’ve seen both extremes [on this team],” said Wilson. “I know what works and what doesn’t”.

The other captain is Caleb “The Warrior” Hecker. Caleb is the archetype of what the coaches want in their program. Caleb is constantly providing the team with a positive attitude. He has been on the wrestling team for the past four years, something very rare for the Garfield wrestling program. Caleb dislocated his kneecap this past football season, and will start his season late because of it. He plans to return mid-season, but for now, he will be there for moral support, but when he comes back, he plans to tear up the 215 pound weight division.

Wilson said that this year the team actually has potential to send someone to state — him. As far as predictions go, Wilson wasn’t making any guarantees, but he says that the team is better than last year, and that several underclassmen have lots of potential to do well this year.

“The people who are returning are skilled and dedicated,” said Wilson.

While the Garfield team this year doesn’t bring immense promise, they do bring experience and work ethic. Both of the captains have been on the wrestling team for the past four seasons, and while you won’t find the captains in overalls any time soon, you will see them in the weight room working their tails off.

Even though last year’s team finished eighteenth out of nineteen teams at the 4A region 2 championships, only above lowly Franklin, they hope to change that entering the year with only optimism.

Hecker put it best, saying, “This year’s team has as much potential as any other Garfield team in years past, it’s just a matter of what we do with it.”