Hyde-Woodstock v. Hopkins: 48-30

We faced off next against Hopkins and used the momentum we gained against WNH to continue to earn several wins.  Kevin Blanco ’10, team captain, earned his first win of the season against his opponent at the 140lb weight class with a pin. This was followed with pins by Red Bakhsh ’11, Jake Schuster ’10, and Andrew Hawk ’11. The most surprising pin of the day came from Brian Fegan ’10 at the 215lb weight class.  Although Fegan was only 189lbs, he wrestled up a class, giving up over 20lbs to defeat a wrestler much larger than him.  He truly showed how size does not dictate the outcome of a match, and gave meaning to the expression that its, “not the size of the dog in the fight, but rather the size of the fight in the dog.”  We ended this match up with a team score of 48-30, earning another victory for the Wolfpack grapplers season record.

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!