Whitehall head wrestling coach Tim Cunningham has watched his team reach some team goals this season, as well as mature along the way.

Their performance in the recent District 11 Class AAA duals, and their recent five consecutive straight dual victories to close the regular season have served as a springboard toward the upcoming postseason.

The Zephyrs dropped a 40-21 decision to Nazareth in the district duals.

“District Duals was one of our team goals since the start of the season and we knew qualifying as one of the top-eight teams in our district was a tall task,” said Cunningham. “Considering the top-five teams are ranked in the top-six in the state, it only left three spots to compete for. We started the season having seven out of 13 wrestlers that were JV, or did not wrestle last year. We have come a long way.”

Even though Whitehall suffered a 58-12 season-opening match to Nazareth, Cunningham has seen a major overall shift for his team.

“We were excited about Nazareth because we wrestled them in the very beginning of the season and wanted to see how much we improved over the course of the season,” noted Cunningham. “We saw a lot of improvement, losing 40-21.

“The guys went out and wrestled with a relentless attacking style, always trying to score the next point. We lost three very close matches that if they went the other way, it would have even been much closer. I am very proud of the way they went out and wrestled and were selfless.”

Junior James Hopkins, who recorded a pin at 215, saw a similar picture. Hopkins is 23-6 with 14 falls.

Hopkins is ready for the district meet Feb. 21-22.

“We definitely could have won some of the close matches,” said Hopkins. “If we got some of the matchups we wanted, I think the dual could have gone differently.

“I feel pretty confident going into districts from a great finish to the regular season. I could see a few of us making a name for ourselves.”