As the Whitehall wrestling team prepares for the District XI Individual Wrestling Tournament, they’ll be spearheaded by a roster of strong candidates who have the ability to make it to the regional round.

That list includes seniors Kai Clark (23-6), Wilfred Jimenez (19-8) and Randy Okungu (19-8), along with junior Johnny Colon (19-8), sophomores Xavier Arner (24-8), Michael Hernandez and Tyler Cunningham (19-3), and freshmen Nate Mendez (12-9) and Melquan Warren. It’s a strong group who’ll will represent Whitehall, with both Clark and Arner coming into the tourney having been ranked among the top five wrestlers in their respective weight classes by an area publication.

Head coach Tim Cunningham said that they may shuffle what weight class wrestlers will ultimately appear in once the district tourney begins. Usually that involves dropping down a weight, but that will be determined as soon as the postseason starts.

The Zephyrs will be looking to end their regional qualifying drought, hoping to advance as many wrestlers as possible to the Northeast AAA Region round. The top six wrestlers will move into the regionals which will be held at Liberty once again for the 3A schools.

Matt Bonshak was the last wrestler to make it to the following weekend, accomplishing that feat in 2013. He was also their last district champion, getting crowned in 2012. He followed that with a Northeast regional title the next week.

Anyone who follows District 11 wrestling knows it’s going to be a big challenge to make it through to the Northeast Region tournament. It’s chock full of wrestlers who have national prominence, let alone district prowess.

The Zephyrs finished the year 11-6 and will now gear up for the highlight of the scholastic wrestling season.

Right now Cunningham is preparing his wrestlers for the grueling tourney.

“At this point in the season, it is important to prepare mentally and be in the best physical shape they have been in all season,” said Cunningham. “The guys have goals and need to have the intrinsic desire to work as hard as they can to reach those goals, so no matter what the end result is they did everything they can to reach the goals they set.

“If they do not reach their goals it is not a failure as long as they did the work needed to reach the goals.”