State-meet rookies prepare for eye-opening experience
February 19, 2019

 


A year ago, Norwich's Dante Geislinger was a little-known fifth-seeded sophomore heading to his first state wrestling tournament.

He departed Albany with a 99-pound Division II state championship.

It doesn't go that way for all first-timers. For many wrestlers, getting used to the atmosphere that surrounds the last event of the high school season takes some time.

They see eight mats in use, the large Times Union Center that houses thousands of fans. They deal with the realization that one mistake could dash dreams years in the making, dietary issues that come with making weight on consecutive days and the most talented scholastic wrestlers in New York.

It's a lot.





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