Rivalry heats up: wrestlers prepare for inaugural Frontenac duel

Photo by: Hannah Gray

Dragon wrestlers travel to Frontenac to take on the Raiders for the first rivalry duel.

“The assembly dual idea was brought to me from a friend that coaches high school wrestling in Oklahoma. Coach Akin at Frontenac reached out to me about a duel,” Davis said. “It did not fit into our schedule year one, but we planned for the following year and here we are.”

Sophomore Gabe Beaman, who wrestles at 106 lbs., is looking forward to the focus on wrestling and the rivalry. 

“I’m excited to be able to go out there and wrestle in front of so many people that we live so close to. I’m also excited about the attention it’s going to draw to wrestling,” Beaman said. “We live close to Frontenac and there’s always been a sort of rivalry so it was an obvious choice to be able to create an event to shine a light on wrestling in both towns.”

Athletes and coaches from both schools have been vocal on social media. Frontenac has three  wrestlers ranked in the top six in the state in 4A adding fuel to the fire.

“I think one challenge will be keeping things respectful with a heated rivalry,” Davis said. “A rivalry is fun but you just can’t cross the line.”

Beaman is one of the 12 wrestlers that will take the mat at 1:30 tomorrow. 

“I think this is the first of many to come. There will always be this crosstown rivalry and it will fuel this for many wrestling seasons,” Beaman said. “It’s going to be something to look forward to for a long time.”