Athletes are working hard off the field to help raise funds as athletic programs around the state face budget cuts.

Wrestlers from Harding High School in Bridgeport are trying to raise $18,000 to ensure that the team has a season at all. The students have started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money online.

Coaches turned to the fundraising website last year, and they hope to repeat that success this year.

Wrestler Charles Rivas says he dreams of getting a scholarship to the University of Nebraska, where wrestling is practically a religion.

"I don't know where I would be," Rivas said about what would happen if he can no longer wrestle. "I would be just another normal kid without knowing where I am going to go in the future."

The team's quest has attracted the attention of the Bridgeport Police Department, whose officers say that sports keep young men safe by giving them structure.