Call me biased, but being part of any high school sports team helps that student to develop character.

That is extremely true in wrestling.

Two prime examples are Butler wrestlers Santino Sloboda and Ethan Babay.

On the surface, they couldn’t be more different. Santino is a 107-pound freshman. Ethan is a senior heavyweight. But both have grown in terms of discipline, self-confidence and maturity through their time on the mat.

Santino is completing a remarkable freshman season for the Golden Tornado at the state tournament this weekend. He won his first 37 matches this season — nearly every one in dominant fashion — before getting pinned in the second period of his WPIAL Finals match.

The loss was a bit of a shocker. He was the No. 1 seed at his weight class, though he only lost to the No. 2 seed. He left the mat in extreme disappointment, showing a lot of emotion.