SIMMS — The state wrestling tournament may have ended Saturday, but the celebration isn't over yet.
Sims High School held a pep rally Tuesday night to honor the state candidates. Lily Shubers and Haley Petersen won titles in their respective weight classes, William Mishler placed sixth in the men's 160 pound weight class, and the women's team raced despite only having four competitors. He finished 10th overall and 3rd in class BC.
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“It's been a great year. Of course, we're very proud to have two state champions and to have Will Mischler come in sixth place,” coach Robert Hasenberg said. “I'm really happy with the performance they had. Their attitude, their effort and their belief in the program was huge.”
Schubart made school history last year by becoming the first girl to win a state championship in the 132-pound weight class. This year, she added even more brilliance to her own resume by doubling down and becoming a two-time champion.
“It's pretty amazing. I'll be honest and say winning your second state title is pretty amazing, but to make it 10 times better, you have to win it with freshman Haley Petersen.” We need to,” Schubarth said. “It's an honor to be able to make Sims history.”
Earlier in the season, Schubart told MTN that she wanted to be an inspiration to the young female players on the team and help them achieve their goals. Watching Petersen win her first state title was a full-circle moment for Schubart. As her high school wrestling career comes to an end, she reflected on the legacy she will leave on the Tigers' program.
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“I feel like this is the best thing I could have done for Sims women's wrestling. I really hope this program continues to move in that direction. I look forward to seeing what the world has in store for them in the future, and I’m really looking forward to seeing their wrestling efforts,” Schubart said.
The program is already moving in the right direction, especially with Petersen's help as she looks to build on her success. Petersen defeated the two-time state champion to win the title in the 107-pound weight class. By crushing her opponents and accomplishing that as a freshman, Petersen has added herself to the list of only four girls with a chance to become her first four-time state champion.
Mishler may not have been at the top of the podium when he won the award, but he still felt on top of the world.
“I started wrestling in fourth grade, so I haven’t wrestled since I was about 3 years old,” Mishler said. “So I think sixth place is a pretty good result for the amount of time I've been in this sport. Of course I wish I could have come back and started earlier, but you don't always get to do that, so I will take rank.”
