Senior wrestler Ramil Islamov took home first place at a tournament at Independence High School in Ohio over the weekend.

Islamov said he stuck to what he knew and that led him to first place.

“I kept a good hard pace with my opponents so they could break toward the end of the match,” Islamov said.

Islamov said he kept a steady, locked-in kind of mindset to the tournament.

“I didn’t worry about the score at all and tried to improve my position. I want to keep that same mindset all year,” Islamov said.

Islamov said making his 150-pound weight class was a bit of a challenge.

“The toughest part of the tournament was making weight because it was the first weight cut of the season,” Islamov said.

Sophomore Mikey Griffiths said everyone on the team competed well.

“Everyone on the team was consistent. It gives me high hopes for this season,” Griffiths said.

Griffiths said the tournament was tougher than usual for them personally.

“This tournament was tough on me because there were seven matches instead of four,” Griffiths.

The Highlanders take on Upper St. Clair in their next match on Wednesday at home.