The wrestling team gains new momentum this winter season after lots of hard work and help from star athletes, Kevin Vulpetti ‘17 and John Shelton ‘20. Freshman and Seniors have bonded through individual success at the Conference Championship and finishing in third place as a team. They brought home nine medals, three first place, two of which are Vulpetti and Shelton. “We have won many duels (matches) against good teams and we have three conference champions” said Vulpetti. Wrestling is a club sport, therefore it is harder get funding from the school as well as further grow the program. Since the wrestling program is still growing, the boys are struggling with winning as a team, “It’s not really difficult if you’re trying to go to state individually, but it is really difficult if we want to try to go to state as a team” said Shelton. Even though they might not all be going to states, they train hard together, practicing nearly everyday and lifting twice a week. “Every practice is hard work. It’s two and a half hours of constant movement with lots of running” said Vulpetti. Focusing on drills, conditioning, and lifting has helped this year be especially successful for the wrestling team. One of their star athletes is freshman John Shelton, who has already proved he can compete successfully at the high school level, “[Having a lot of success has] made me have a chip on my shoulder, and make me want to be even better to represent East well,” said Shelton. He is hoping to succeed at the wrestling individual state championships March 2-4 at The Palace of Auburn Hills. This will be Shelton’s first time representing East Grand Rapids High School in a state final and most likely not his last.