These wrestlers compete at the highest level in high school. Find out how and why they succeed.

Senior Valynn Kwan and junior Logan Lau were captains of the wrestling team last season.

Valynn Kwan was the captain of the girls’ Wrestling team and Logan was the captain of the boys’ Wrestling team.

Kwan got into wrestling with her older brother because he used to wrestle for Pac 5 and Valynn wanted to try the sport following in her brother’s footsteps.

Kwan enjoys wrestling because it taught her to be more disciplined, consistent, and determined. Having the strong mindset to keep on going and working hard to achieve the goals, she said.

“During my matches, I get excited when I’m waiting on the side of the mat getting ready to wrestle. I also get excited when I see the crowd and my family.”

“At the time, my older brother was wrestling for Pac 5. I enjoyed watching them practice and roll around, and my parents noticed my interest and suggested I try it too,” said Kwan.

Kwan has been wrestling since her freshman year at Mid-Pacific and has been continuing throughout her senior year.

Last year, she was placed in 3rd during states. What sparked her placement for 3rd place was her high c to double leg move. This is also her favorite move to do during competition and practice. A high c is when you bring your opponent to you, followed by a double leg; attacking both legs at once to secure the takedown.

Whereas Valynn used the high c to double leg, Logan Lau’s technique was the Fireman’s dump.

Logan Lau is a junior who has been wrestling for around eight years. He got into wrestling with his father and followed in his footsteps.

“My dad forced me because he wrestled in high school and saw it as a good sport, but now it’s something I’m really passionate about,” said Lau.

From gaining the motivation to wrestle, Lau was ranked around 15 to 20 place during last season, this is out of the 64th men’s bracket.

The coach who helped Kwan and Lau was Ronald Comeaux. He has over 29 years of experience and has competed in wrestling for around 10 years. This is his third season at Mid-Pacific.

“I have 29 years as an assistant coach at Mckinley High School. I have also competed in freestyle and Greco wrestling for about ten years,” Comeaux said.

Comeaux became a coach because he enjoys helping the players be the best and improve on what they can’t do. He explains that he wants the players to not give up and take pride in what they do.

“These are feel-good moments that keep me going knowing that we as coaches can make a difference,” said Comeaux.

Wrestlers are gaining more experience as the team grows. The important aspects are personal growth, leadership skills, mental toughness, and bonding. This aspect is important for the captains to take this role to help the team in general.

“Last year I was the team captain for the girls. As a captain I’d say it’s mostly about setting a good example for your team and supporting each other, it’s important to build eachother up and encourage one another so we all can be at our very best,” said Kwan.