“We ain’t tired.” Those are the words stitched into the back of the ballcaps worn by the West Geauga wrestling team. The words mirror those worn on the back of the shirts the Wolverines wear. Related Articles High School Sports | Lake Catholic football quartet highlights OHSFCA academic All-Ohio list High School Sports | News-Herald players of the week for Jan. 8 High School Sports | High school scoreboard for Jan. 8 High School Sports | PHOTOS: Riverside vs. Hudson boys basketball, Jan. 8, 2025 High School Sports | PHOTOS: NDCL vs. Garfield Heights boys basketball, Jan. 8, 2025 Tired isn’t an option when you’re climbing a mountain and the goal is the top. The West Geauga wrestling team has been a work in progress for a number of years now. The Wolverines took a giant leap last year when they won the Kenston Division II sectional tournament and sent 11 wrestlers to the district meet. But a season that featured a sectional team title, 11 district qualifiers and four wrestlers with 40-plus wins — with another earning 39 wins — garnered only one Division II state-qualifier. With that in mind, the West Geauga wrestling team is setting the bar even higher this year. Armed with an experienced lineup and a schedule that has been ramped up in difficulty, the Wolverines continue the trudge up the mountain up success undaunted by the task before them. “District qualifiers have got to become state-qualifiers,” Coach Joe Joltin said. “State-qualifiers have got to become podium kids, and podium kids have got to become state champions. … It’s a lot of hard work, but the kids are dedicated, they’ve been working hard all offseason and they’re determined.” Zander Joltin of West Geauga, in the top position, is one of 13 wrestlers in the Wolverines’ lineup with starting experience. (John Kampf – The News-Herald) Said Nasir Levy, one of 10 seniors on the squad, “We’ve just got to keep raising the standards.” The standard began to be raised March 11, 2024, when the Wolverines held a voluntary open mat session — the day after the state tournament had concluded. Getting only one wrestler (senior Ethan Bartlett) to the state tournament after sending 11 to the district meet left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth. “That made everyone want it even more,” said Caden Kaleal, who went 43-6 last season but finished sixth at the district tournament. Offseason workouts were rigorous. Joltin said even those playing a fall sport like football made time for some open mat sessions to further hone their skills. With 13 wrestlers returning with starting experience, one being Levy who missed last year with an injury, Joltin loaded up the team’s schedule, adding the Alliance Top Gun tournament and the Division II state duals to a loop that already included this coming weekend’s John Matteucci Memorial at North, the CVC tournament and the Ben Vitron Memorial at Independence. Those tournaments come on the heels of the Kenston Invitational Tournament in which West G participated in late November, where the Wolverines placed second to Bellevue, with junior Brian Denamen (165) and Austin Wheatley (175) taking first and second, respectively, to lead the way. “The district tournament can’t be your toughest tournament of the year. It just can’t be,” Joltin said of increasing the team’s schedule strength this year. “If you’re going to be that caliber of team, and our goal is to be a Top 10 team in the state, the district can’t be your toughest tournament. We’ve got to face better competition all year so we’re prepared.” The Wolverines are well on their way to their goal of taking another big step this season. Denamen, who went 44-8 last year but settled for being a state-alternate, is 20-0 so far this season. He won his 100th career match in a triangular with Edgewood and Kenston on Jan. 8. West Geauga junior Brian Denamen won his 100th career match in a Jan. 8 triangular with Kenston and Edgewood, but has a bigger goal of getting back to the state tournament this year. (John Kampf – The News-Herald) “It’s a pretty big motivator,” Denamen said of missing out on the state tournament last year after wrestling in Columbus as a freshman. Additionally, Kaleal (43-6 last year) is 16-4 so far this year, Zander Joltin (42-7 last year) is 19-2 this year and Blake Welker (39-15 last year) is 16-4 this year. Every weight class from 120 pounds and up features a wrestler with a .500 or better record. It’s a top-to-bottom team. “I remember coming in as a freshman and not having a full lineup,” senior Daniel Donofrio (15-5 this year) said. “It’s nice to have a full lineup and get all these team points. I think people are realizing how good of a team we really are.” Joltin praised the progress of the program from the bottom up, starting with youth, middle school and high school levels. He credits his high school staff — Dan Sizler, Solomon Trochansky, Nik Wheatley, Dom Cribari, Bobby Kaleal and Rick Diturno — for helping take the team to a new level this year. But the work is not done, Joltin warned. The season is just getting started. It’s nice to have 55 wrestlers in the youth levels, a junior high program that has doubled in size and a loaded, experienced varsity team, but a lot of work needs to be done to take the next step after a disappointing end to the 2023-24 season. “Yeah, we’re coming for it,” said junior Zander Joltin.