The Boulder High Boys Wrestling Team has faced its fair share of challenges. For starters, the squad is half freshman. Many of them have filled roles on Varsity, which has been a tough adjustment from middle school wrestling for most of them. However, Head Coach Will Leboeuf says that these younger wrestlers have made up for this lack of experience through fierce work ethic and unwavering determination, and he calls this the team’s biggest strength. The team also undoubtedly lost its most talented wrestler, Abe Pomeroy ‘25, who transferred to Wyoming Seminary, a wrestling-focused school in Pennsylvania. Beyond these team specific roadblocks, there are numerous challenges that are specific to the sport. Despite being a physically grueling sport, most of wrestling is mental. Eddie Guerrero, a pro wrestler, says that “the greatest battles in wrestling are often fought within ourselves.” Lebouef and his staff reward this mental toil and emphasize effort over outcome.
Wrestling also classifies its participants by weight. This can result in difficulties during the season as wrestlers struggle to maintain a stable mass. Clay Gilreath, ‘26, one of the elder members on the team, says “It’s not about how much you want to weigh, it’s about how much the team needs you to weigh”. The Panthers have wrestlers ranging from 106 pounds to 215 pounds, each competing against opponents in the same weight class.
The team is off to a 1-4 start to the season, though there have been some positives. All of the duels have been closely fought, and the Panthers have been performing well in tournament play, which are separate from school versus school matchups. A major bright spot for the team has been Isaac Wing ‘26. He has a 15-5 record and is now captain of the team following Pomeroy’s departure. He calls the team a “resilient, gritty and hardworking” group, and his leadership is already having a big impact. Coach Leboeuf says “Wing has been a tremendous leader and competitor. He is doing everything right to make a postseason run and lead us to victory against Fairview.”
Through the tumult, the wrestling squad is still very close-knit and does what it can to make the individual sport a team effort. Luca Molina, ‘25, says that his teammates “help each other up, push each other through fatigue and pain, and laugh with each other.” However, this can only get them so far. Coach Lebeouf says that though the preparation is all team-based, when the duel comes, only the wrestler himself can control the outcome. Still, the squad still does their best to contribute from outside the ring through encouragement and the work they do preparing their teammates.
Wrestling is a sport of paradoxes: Team and individual, mental and physical. Though this Panthers team is small, both in terms of physicality and roster size, and young, they have grittiness and determination that makes up for it.