03/13/2026
āTwas The Night Before State
The night before State, the gym lights were low,
The mats rolled out smooth in a long crimson row.
The brackets were posted, the wrestlers all stared,
At names they might face ā the ones theyād prepared.
Some kids checked their weight, some tightened their shoes,
Some joked with their buddies pretending to snooze.
But deep in their minds every wrestler knewā¦
Tomorrow was war in a singlet and shoe.
No helmets, no pads, no crowd to hide in,
Just a whistle, a mat, and the fire within.
Six minutes of chaos, sweat, and of grind,
Where strength meets heart and courage meets mind.
One kid said, āRelax, itās just wrestling, dude.ā
Another said, āYeahā¦ but Iām bringing the rude.ā
A third flexed his arms and whispered real low,
āIāve got double legs ready ā just thought you should know.ā
Some dreamed of headlocks, some dreamed of a pin,
Some pictured the ref slapping mat for the win.
Some dreamed of takedowns slick as could be,
Others just dreamed of surviving period three.
But coaches all know, and champions too,
The secret to winning is simple and true:
Not wild attacks or wrestling fast,
But patience and timing that quietly last.
Ex*****on of moves youāve practiced all year,
One setup, one shot ā done calm and clear.
No rushing, no panicking, no crazy pace,
Just trust in your training and control of the space.
Good wrestlers attackā¦
Great wrestlers wait.
Then boom ā perfect shot.
And itās three pointsā¦ takedownā¦ great.
And hereās the coolest thing, wrestlers tonight ā
Out of all kids who wrestle, you earned this right.
Across the whole state, in every gym class,
Thousands of kids wrestle hard on the mat.
But only a few made it here to this placeā¦
The top 24 wrestlers in your weight class.
Think about that ā itās actually true.
The best in the stateā¦ and that includes you.
So donāt wrestle tomorrow afraid of a loss,
Or worried about medals or being the boss.
Donāt think about brackets or standing in line,
Just wrestle each match one moment at a time.
Have fun with the battle.
Smile when itās tough.
Because wrestlingās weird ā and wrestlingās rough.
But wrestlers are tougher than most people know,
A little bit crazyā¦ and proud to show.
So sleep now young grapplers, tomorrow youāll see,
The toughest opponent youāll faceā¦ might be me.
But win, lose, or battle till muscles all ache,
Respect every wrestler whose hand you will shake.
Because State isnāt only medals or fameā¦
Itās showing youāre brave enough to play the game.
So dream of the whistle.
Dream of the mat.
Dream of the moment you snap down and splat.
And when morning arrives, donāt worry or waitā¦
Just wrestle with patience.
Wrestle with pride.
Execute your movesā¦
And enjoy the ride.
Because tomorrowā¦
IS STATE.
