The eyes of a little kid sparkle as they watch the wrestling match of their older sibling unfold in front of them. Afraid to miss even a split second they can’t tear their eyes away from the intense play in front of them and already they can feel the desire to be a wrestler and becoming a state champion pull at them.

After many intense trainings, strict diets, and an intense toll on their bodies, senior Grace Lemm and junior Christian Moreno continue their strive on the journey to state this wrestling season and are leaving a lasting impression not only on the coaches but on each other.

“The whole time I was growing up around wrestling as I saw my two older brothers being successful and my goal was to go to and place at or win at state,” Lemm said.

For Lemm and Moreno they both grew up around an other brother who wrestled at Bowie, but for Moreno that wasn’t all that motivated him.

“What inspires me the most is watching other wrestlers at higher levels compete in big matches,” Moreno said.

Keeping this in mind, wrestling coach Glen Lewis will bring in past state qualifiers to talk to the wrestling team as a form of mental preparation.

“It’s a whole different level of competition when you get to the state tournament,” Lewis said. “It’s great to hear from former qualifiers to get a grasp on how big it really is.”

No matter how much the wrestlers prepare mentally and physically for state the pressure of being great enough to become number one never goes away.

“Once you’ve wrestled everything else in life is easier, wrestling is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do because of the amount of work that you have to put in to be successful,” Moreno said. “You have to make the right choices on a daily basis, even from when you wake up you think of what will help you to be the state champ.”

Part of the pressure the wrestlers have is to make the right dietary choices that will help them become a champion in their weight class.

“Usually during the season I eat very healthy and have a lot of lean meats and vegetables,” Lemm said.

During winter break, Lemm allows a “two-pound allowance” where she can reach 121 pounds, instead of 119.

Moreno and Lemm both agreed that making weight is their least favorite part of the sport.

“The lack of food and water in your body makes it hard to compete on a high level and wrestling is really hard on all of your joints too,” Lemm said.

Lewis also recognized another part of this season that brought stress to the team but also helped them to become better.

“We had some really tough tournaments in the second semester,” Lewis said. “It’s tough to travel around the state every weekend in January and February to seek out the best competition and while it gets a little tiring, it helps our team compete on the highest level.”

The wrestlers were very glad once state had come and they felt all of their hard work and sacrifices paying off.

“I felt pretty confident going into state, I felt like there was no more work that could’ve been done to prepare me for that moment,” Moreno said. “I just had to have faith in my training and wrestle the best that I could in every match competed in.”

While the teammates did everything possible to be the champion, Moreno finished a heartbreaking second, while Lemm finished in fifth place.

“At the end of the tournament I was disappointed how I placed because I had already beaten the person who took second, the week before at regionals,” Lemm said. “I was told by a retired coach that I was truly the best wrestler in my bracket and that I deserve to have taken first. “

While supporters of the two wrestlers believe that going to state is a huge deal in itself for the two that isn’t all they want out of themselves.

“It’s disappointing to me to not have gotten the state title yet but going into my senior year I’ll be doing everything I can to make sure I get that title,” Moreno said.

Despite the disappointment Moreno and Lemm faced with how they placed at the state tournament the season overall still held a lot of good memories including one that stood out to Lewis from when Lemm got Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Hurricane Classic Tournament in Houston.

“It was such a surprise to her and she was beaming when she got the award,” Lewis said. “She’s fought through so much with injuries the last few years, it was great to see her be rewarded for her hard work.”

Moreno’s favorite moment was being part of the parade of champions which is when the finals of the state tournament is held and the two finalists walk around the gym on their way to the mat.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to be a part of since I was a kid and it was awesome getting to walk out and everybody be looking at us and having the spotlight on us,” Moreno said.

While these big moments had an impact on the wrestler’s lives the team did as well and for Lemm this is something she’ll miss when she is attending Texas A&M next school year.

“My takeaway from being a wrestler at Bowie will really be how close I can be with people,” Lemm said. “The team spends so much time together during season that we’re all family and we all love each other.”

Everyone on the team is close from practices and tournaments spent together, but for Moreno and Lemm their bond goes back even further since they grew up training together.

“It’s tough seeing her go because we’ve always been on the same team since we were little and this is the end to what we started and the end of our careers together,” Moreno said.

The team and coaches were used to seeing Lemm at the wrestling events since she was little since her brothers were on the team and now that she’ll be leaving the year coming to an end is hard for them too.

“I haven’t known the wrestling room without Grace being there,” Lewis said. “She’s provided great leadership in the wrestling gym and her leadership, and quirkiness, will definitely be missed.”