On Wednesday night the RM wrestling team traveled to Walt Whitman High School to battle against the Vikings. The Rockets came in with high hopes of winning but were sent home with a devastating loss of 66-9.

The night began well for the Rockets with Junior Baiquni Iman-Santoso taking to the mat first. Baiquni managed to avoid multiple pins from his opponent and the first match resulted in a tied score of 6-6. However, momentum quickly shifted against the Rockets.

The Vikings struck back hard gaining four pins in quick succession which resulted in them achieving a substantial lead of 33-6. With each successive loss the Rockets grew quieter while the Vikings only got louder.

RM’s next wrestler, Junior Tatiana Pineda stepped onto the mat with hopes to even the score slightly, unfortunately she was pinned by her opponent, despite a hard fought effort. “Technique-wise I was really slacking” noted Pineda.

At this moment, team morale was at an extreme low. Aside from occasional cheering from another teammate, the Rockets remained in near silence. With the Vikings increasing their lead with each win, the score went from 33-6 to 66-6 in the blink of an eye. The Rockets, at a loss for words, could feel their impending defeat almost upon them.

Despite the bleak outlook, they cheered on their last teammate, Junior Chairing Sherpa, to the mat. Although Sherpa, like the rest of his team, knew they had lost, he was still determined to win his match. “I wanted to beat him really badly” Sherpa explained.

Sherpa came on the mat bouncing with energy and started off the match almost immediately pinning his opponent. Upon this, his teammates began to cheer enthusiastically, in stark comparison to their earlier half-hearted behavior. After struggling for about three minutes with his opponent, Sherpa had everyone on the edge of their seats. Suddenly the buzzer rang and Sherpa won his match, bringing the final score to 66-9.

Although the team lost, they were still excited for their teammate, hugging and congratulating Sherpa for winning. “We supported each other throughout the match,” Coach James happily noted.

Although Sherpa won his match, he was nonetheless disappointed with himself. “I underestimated my opponent and almost lost” he explained. Sherpa felt that this weakness could be improved in the entire team. “We as a team also have to stop underestimating our opponents” he continued.

Although the Rockets took a loss against Whitman, their team spirit was present throughout. Offering improvements for next time, Coach James and the wrestlers brainstormed ideas from improving technique to overall conditioning. The Rockets hope to learn from their loss against the Vikings and apply that knowledge in their next match against Montgomery Blair High School.

Featured photo by Michael Pan.