Jamie Johnson
Two high school wrestlers at a meet.
Senior Bryan Guevara, left: ‘We’re always putting in the work.’
As her opponent bounces on his toes and rehearses a series of opening moves, Madison East freshman wrestler Halana Lemke quietly stands still while waiting for her introduction, a neat ponytail falling behind her ear guards. Less than two minutes later, she drives the boy’s shoulders into the McPike Fieldhouse mat for a pin, claiming six points and sealing a team victory for East to keep the Purgolders undefeated in Big Eight Conference action this season.
The crowd, including several moms, erupts. This reporter finds it difficult to maintain professional objectivity and gives up an audible “Wowwww!” As it turns out, high school wrestling is exciting, and there’s a lot to like about the team at East.
“Last year, we wanted that city title,” says senior co-captain Bryan Guevara. “This year, we’re looking to win the conference.”
That’s a bold statement from any high school athlete, especially a wrestler at East, which not long ago had a hard time putting a roster together. But the program’s popularity has exploded.
“My freshman year, we had about 27 people come out and we ended up with 10 or 15,” says senior co-captain Mikel Myadze. This year, 60 kids showed up to try out for the team with 43 sticking it out, including a handful of girls like Lemke, a growing trend in the sport.
East athletic director T.J. Rogness, who grew up wrestling, explains that East’s large roster allows it to put up wrestlers in each of 14 weight classes, a decided advantage over many of its opponents. But head coach Dayton Yu points out that there’s also a lot of talent on the squad.
“It’s not just that we have depth,” he says. “We’re also wrestling to win.”
What’s driving this turnaround? Rogness points to Yu, a 2009 East grad, and his assistant, Rudy Hernandez, from the class of 2013.
“Dayton cares not just about wrestling and not just about East, but about kids who wrestle at East,” Rogness says. “He helps kids understand commitment, but also recognize the benefit of wrestling, even if their hand isn’t getting raised after the match. He has been a blessing. Rudy has been right next to him and has been every bit as important.”
Full disclosure: Yu is my neighbor and, after chatting casually with him about his teams for a few years, I had to see for myself. I showed up at a good time.
“East needs good news. East needs competitive athletics,” Yu says. “I feel like this is our year and I want to make sure we execute.”
At the end of a recent practice full of technical work and conditioning drills, as the wrestlers run sprint intervals, Yu emphasizes the need to embrace mental and physical toughness. “Get comfortable being uncomfortable!” he shouts.
Defying a stereotype of teenagers anxious about and overwhelmed by a post-pandemic world that keeps throwing challenges their way, East wrestlers accept their sport’s reputation for torture.
“We all sweat, we all grind, we all run together,” says senior co-captain Malachi Currie. “None of us go light on each other, and that’s on and off the mat: school, home, everything.”
Guevara says his teammates are happy in the struggle.
“East is in a diverse part of the city. We’ve got a bunch of colors here,” Guevara says. “Because of that, we’re always putting in the work. There are no excuses for us.”
Update: East defeated Madison La Follette and Beloit Memorial in a triangle meet Tuesday to improve its Big Eight Conference record to 6-0.
