John Hardey got a Texas-sized dose of reality when he joined the Sterling wrestling team.

Hardey, a senior, moved to Sterling this past summer after 2 years at Canyon High School in New Braunfels, Texas. He came with his father, Scott, an engineer who accepted a job in Princeton.

At Canyon High, which has an enrollment of nearly 2,000 students, Hardey was one of the best wrestlers in a program that was only 4 years old. He wasn't sure what his record was last season, but noted he was considered the second-best wrestler on the team and was a sectional qualifier.