Middle School Wrestling
The 2024-25 Middle School Wrestling Season is approaching quickly! The Middle School Season will begin on Monday, November 11th and will operate through the month of January.
Middle School Wrestling Starts Monday, November 11th 2024
Register with the Middle School Main Office - Link to Middle School Sports Page
The Middle School program is an important “bridge” between our Youth and High School levels of the wrestling program, as well as an integral recruiting platform. The stages of development during the adolescent ages impose many changes, pressures, and expectations onto our youth. This is the stage in our program that the sport of wrestling should encompass fun, instill direction and expectations, and provide instruction to prepare them for the High School level. Competition is a great experience, with and emphasis on team and development of the student-athlete.
Our goal is to build the Middle School program by keeping Middle School age wrestlers competing at the Middle School level. We want our experienced Middle School wrestlers to influence the team by building leadership skills and increasing the skill in the room. These skilled wrestlers we can build and maintain a higher level of wrestling in the room, and will enhance the team's success as they progress toward the High School program. We want to build our program numbers to have enough depth in our rosters to support our teams with athletes in the respective grades. We do not want to build an expectation of advancing to the High School. This will support the wrong expectations in our athletes and promote a negative image to our young wrestlers; that they are "not good enough" to advance. This is not the purpose. Instead, we want them to become leaders and experience success with their peers. This will help our program to build a strong Willmar Wrestling tradition!
The Middle School wrestling team consists of eligible wrestlers in grades 6-8. Our Middle School program is a part of the Minnesota 9th grade league, and participates as a member of the North Section of Region 2. Our Middle School follows the Region 2 schedule for events and competitions throughout the season.
7th & 8th Grade Wrestlers
7th/8th grade wrestlers are expected to compete at the Middle School level, following the expectations of the Middle School program. 7th & 8th grade wrestlers must follow the Middle School schedule to be eligible for 9th grade league post-season competition, or advancement to the High School level. Eligible wrestlers may be asked by the Head Coach to participate at the JV/Varsity level. This advancement only occurs when the coaching staff, administration, parents, and athlete agree that the decision is the best for the student-athlete and program (in that sequential order). All 7-8th wrestlers can register to practice and complete with the Youth wrestling team after the completion of the Middle School season.
6th Grade Wrestlers
6th grade wrestlers are expected to participate in all activities on the Middle School schedule. Because the 6th graders are not eligible to compete in some of the 9th grade league events, they are also eligible to compete with the Youth program for some events around the Middle School schedule. These Youth events will be provided by the coaches with the Middle School schedule.