After a slow start to the season, the boys have started to pick things up this season.
Due to winter break, the boys had a long break from wrestling with nothing on the calendar. Thier season continued when the boys hosted the Parkdale Panthers on Jan. 4, a team from Riverdale. The Patriots were unable to add another win to the column. Senior Tony Hesseloff lost to the number 10 wrestler in the state. This gave Hesseloff another loss on the season, which drops his record on the season down to 8-7. Junior Jake Warner and senior Walter Lyons both beat their respective matchups but yet again, the overall team effort was not enough to get the job done versus the Panthers.
Following the loss versus Parkdale, the boys competed in a tournament at Rockville on Jan. 6 and 7. Warner, 15-4 on the season, received first place for his efforts at the tournament alongside Lyons, who is a respectable 15-4 on the season as well. While Warner and Lyons held their own in their respective weight classes, the overall team finished 6-2 and their effort was not enough to warrant a first place in the tournament. “We didn’t get first but third is respectable and we just have to keep working,” Hesseloff said. He went 3-1 at the tournament before being taken out with a concussion.
The boys’ wrestled the Quince Orchard Cougars on Jan. 11 and lost yet another match.They lost 43-18, but yet again, Lyons and Warner were able to beat their respective matchups. Sophomore Chase Peng was able to pin his man and help earn the team another six points. Sophomore Andrew Fitter also beat his man and earned the team another three points and so did senior Syed Mustafa but none of it was enough to secure a win versus the Cougars.
While the boys are 1-4 on the season, they still have some bright spots on the team and have talent that can spark a run. The team is led by upperclassmen and seniors like Justin Rudden, Jake Gross, Lyons and Tony Hesseloff are all above .500 on the season individually, something that will help the boys down the stretch. The freshman bright spot, Ben Bloch, is 9-7 on the season, an impressive statistic for a freshman wrestling varsity. “I think that we have a lot of talent this year and I think that if we focus our energy the right way we can make a run,” Warner said.

Dean Spitz

Sports Editor