Hyde-Woodstock v. Suffield: 36-48

Our final match was against Suffield Academy, a much tougher team due to their experience and coaching.  Suffield brought a full lineup and they raised the bar for Hyde.  Marcos Mercado ’13 earned his first pin of the season at the 112lb weight class, and showed innate wrestling ability that will become an asset to this year’s lineup.  Jake Schuster ’10 won his second match of the day with a solid pin against his opponent at the 160lb weight class.  Many of the team points we earned against this tough challenger came from forfeits, and we ended the day with a team score of 36 to 48.  We will see this team again on Saturday when we travel to Canterbury to face off against the host school and Suffield.

To begin the season with a 2-1 record was surprising considering the lack of experience we have on this seasons roster, but we have a team of tough kids who refuse to quit.  With some time on the mat, this team will become quite formidable.  Wrestling is a sport that challenges the quitting voice in all of our heads.  When your shoulders are nearing the mat, it would be much easier to give up and get some water and rest, rather than fight off your back and change the momentum of the match.  This is linked to more than the sport for these young men, and regardless what the record at the end of the season is, my hopes are that these wrestlers will hang their shoes up and have their heads high knowing they faced some tough challenges and never quit.  Our next match will be on Wednesday against Northfield Mount Hermon, a wrestling giant in the prep school league.  Wish us luck!