The varsity wrestling team, led by senior captains senior Miguel Siron and Aiden Hsieh, has had a rough start but the team is motivated to get better every match.
On Dec. 11 the team suffered a 68-11 loss to Poolesville and then followed it up with a 51-30 loss to Kennedy. This streak continued with a 71-6 loss to Bethesda Chevy Chase on Dec. 17. They then had a disappointing rivalry loss to Churchill on Jan. 15, losing 57-17.
Most recently they had a 70-19 win against Northwood on Jan. 22, getting the team their first win of the year. “Our season obviously hasn’t been amazing as a team but I think we have had a lot of really impressive individual performances and I can see a lot of people have gotten much better since the start of the year,” sophomore Gianni Pizzi said.
The team lost key seniors such as Sebastian Valdivia, Jake Kelly and Max Circus and the team has felt their absence. However, the future of the program remains bright with upcomers like sophomore Xander Doherty. “I think In a couple years we will be really good, we just have to be patient and work hard,” sophomore Benicio Kim said.
At the halfway point of the season the team was looking to turn the season around. They had a 71-12 loss vs Magruder on Jan. 23 and a 70-20 loss against Watkins Mill. They end the year with a multi-team match on Feb. 8 against Richard Montgomery and Rockville. ”I think our performances have been OK. It really depends who’s wrestling in what weight class,” Hua said.
The JV team has also had struggles as they started the season off with a 68-18 loss to Poolesville on Dec. 11. They followed it up with a 38-24 loss against (BCC) on Dec. 17. The team had a close 37-41 loss against Blair on Jan. 4 and then another close 48-44 loss to rival Churchill and an 18-0 win against Northwood for the team’s first win of the year on Jan. 22. “We might lose a lot but some of our veteran wrestlers have amazing performances and impressive wins,” junior Eric Hua said.
Despite the slow start sophomore Benicio Kim said the season has been successful because the team has been improving from the first match. “I think our season has been successful because we have improved a lot and had fun wrestling together,” Kim said.
The team had a 19-18 win against Magruder most recently and a 71-18 win against Watkins Mill on Jan. 25, leaving them with a 3-4 record with one match remaining against Blake on Feb. 5. “I think we have been trending upwards recently and could possibly end the season with a few wins,” Kim said
