Credit has to be given to the outstanding job that the Key West High wrestling team did this year.

First-year head coach Chaz Jimenez said at the beginning of the season he was going to put up only one prediction: That his team was going to be the hardest working on campus.

Sure enough, Jimenez made sure that of that, as I found out first-hand when I participated in a practice early in the season. He worked the team hard on a daily basis, a majority of the time for up to three hours per practice. Despite the groans from his wrestlers, Jimenez, all season long, continued to preach to his team that all the dedication would pay off come postseason time.

"If they can get behind what we want them to do then it will be a successful season," Jimenez said in an interview at the beginning of the season. "We have the talent and these guys have been working hard year-round, but it's time to step up the effort."

It is obvious the Key West wrestlers bought into what their coach was telling them, as the Conchs won the District 16-1A title and matched a program-best second-place finish in the Regional 4-1A Championship, where all 14 matsmen competed. A record number of eight Key West wrestlers went on to qualify for the 1A State Championships.

However, it is no surprise to me that eight Conch matsmen qualified for the 1A State tournament, or that they equaled the program's best team finish. Following my early season workout with the squad, I was told things would only get tougher. If that was the case, I am positive every one of those athletes not only deserved, but earned the right to make the trip to the Region and be a part of the record-breaking team.

In the end, only Paul Leatherwood returned to Key West with a State Medal around his neck, but every single wrestler that participated on the Key West High team this season should hold their heads up high. You guys certainly earned my respect this year and should be proud of your accomplishments.

Now let's keep it up, and add to the list of State Champions.

Staying on the wrestling topic, Ralph Major Jr., Key West's lone State Champion and current Pratt Community College grappler, will take his shot for a National Junior College championship this weekend. Major, who wrestlers in the 184-pound weight class, opens the NJCAA National finals Friday against Richard Dawson of Niagara. The tournament takes place at the Veterans Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa.

Staff Writer J.W. Cooke's Home Field Advantage column appears exclusively each Wednesday in The Citizen. He can be reached at 305-292-7777, Ext. 261, or at jwcooke@keysnews.com.