Varsity wrestling finished 5-7 after a challenging schedule this season. Now the team prepares for the county-wide tournament and then a select group of the top-performing wrestlers on the team will compete in the state-wide tournament for the state championship.

Varsity began the final seven-game stretch of the season with a three-game win streak, with dominant wins over Gaithersburg, Kennedy and Blake. The team lost their last four regular-season games to Whitman, Quince Orchard, Richard Montgomery and Rockville in dual meets. “Even though we lost some tough matches, I’m thankful for the seniors for all they have contributed to the program throughout the years and I can’t wait to see how far they can go in counties and states,” Assistant Coach Ralph Bernardo said.

JV finished their regular season with an away match against Blake and then competed in the JV level county tournament. Even though JV records are not officially kept, there are Patriots who excelled in counties and have been moved up to the varsity team to compete in varsity-level counties. “The JV student-athletes have made so much progress in their technique over the course of the season, so I’m excited to see how they will perform against more experienced varsity wrestlers,” Assistant Coach Kyle Ramp said.

The entire varsity team competed in the county level tournament on Feb. 18 and 19 at Gaithersburg, but this tournament will not count toward points to help the wrestlers qualify in regionals. For most of the team, this will be their last matches for the season as only a select group from the team can qualify for regionals that begin on Feb. 25. “I think it’s a great way to give everyone not going into regionals one last chance to compete against teams they are familiar with while having fun,” junior Max Mirsky said.   

As the statewide tournament is approaching, senior Jasmine Gong will likely compete in her respective weight class for a state championship and along with other Patriots who have gathered enough points throughout the season to qualify. Gong, who was the first ever MPSSAA girl’s state wrestling champion in the 100-pound class in 2020, has an edge over other athletes in terms of preparedness with her experience. “No matter how Jasmine finishes, we are all going to be proud of her and thankful for all she has contributed to the program,” Bernardo said.

For the student-athletes who do qualify for regionals and potentially the state tournament, the tight-knit unit will surely be cheering them on. Even with the losses, the Patriots persevered and won in competitive matches. “For my first somewhat normal high school wrestling season, I think It was a really good opportunity to grow as a wrestler and next season I will come even more motivated,” sophomore Jake Kelly said.