As the school year runs along, and the seasons change from fall to winter, North Atlanta’s wrestling team is warming up for their 2024-2025 season. The sport of wrestling has made a name for itself in North Atlanta due to its fast-paced action, variety of techniques, and tense moments. After the wrestling team recorded a strong 10-4 record last year, coach Dillan Schouw and his team hope to replicate the success, while having even higher expectations for the upcoming season. With new wrestlers hitting to mat and even more returning, there is a great sense of anticipation for another year of North Atlanta wrestling. Here is a preview of what to expect from the team this year.
The biggest change this season from last year is the new regional opponents that the wrestling team will be facing this Winter. This change in regions introduces a whole new lineup of opponents that could pose a challenge for the Warriors. Some of these new opponents include East Forsyth, West Forsyth, North Forsyth, and Lambert in regional play and Miltion, Westminster, and Walton in out-of-region play. This change in regions has been a theme across all North Atlanta sports this year, so it will be interesting to see how the wrestling team can adjust. “It’s going to be different for sure, but Coach Schouw has prepared us for this change in practice,” said senior Jack Schultz “We’ve had to do more scouting than usual since most of these teams are new, but were confident in how we will adjust.”
Another big change that will be seen this season for the Wrestling team is the change in leadership, caused by the graduation of key wrestlers last year like Will Lazarus and Holden Cooley. Some seniors this year who are expected to step up and have a key role in the team production this year include Jack Schultz, David Garner, Carson Jones, and Carlos Hernandez. All of these seniors have proven themselves to be dominant in their weight class and will make great influences over North Atlanta’s newer wrestlers as they take on their gauntlet of a schedule. “In all of my experience in this program, I’ve learned a lot from the guys in front of me, and I’m honored to be able to be a key part of this team’s success,” said Senior David Garner, “We have a good group this year and we’re all excited to learn more about this team as the year goes on”
To prepare for the upcoming season, the wrestling team has participated in daily practices consisting of drills, workouts, exercises, and scrimmages against teammates. During these practices, Coach Schouw is hoping to build up his team’s skill while also increasing the team’s chemistry for the long season ahead. These practices have also been important in showing off the talents of new wrestlers in the program and focusing on what the team needs to improve on this winter. The Warriors also wrestled Campbell High School in a scrimmage on November 7, which served as an evaluation of what to expect from the team this year. “We feel confident going into this year”, said Senior Carlos Hernandez, “We’ve gotten a lot better in our practices and the scrimmage against Campbell helped give us a feel on what we need to work on more during the season”
With the 2024-2025 wrestling season rapidly approaching, the Warriors have done everything they can to prepare for their adjusted schedule and tournaments ahead. North Atalnata wrestling is in good hands with Coach Schouw in his second season, so it will be interesting to see how the team performs this winter season.
