On Saturday, the RM varsity wrestling team headed to a trimeet at Wheaton High School against the Wheaton Knights and the Einstein Titans for the team’s final match together, and for some, the final match of their high school wrestling career. After losing nearly half of the team last year in graduating seniors, this year’s mindset has been focused more on growth rather than achieving immediate success. Despite heavy losses, the team has shown extraordinary spirit and potential this season, boding well for the Rockets’ wrestling program in the years to come.
As in their most recent trimeet, the Rockets wrestled two incredibly tight matches, yet ultimately gave up two losses, 34-46 to the Knights and 32-33 to the Titans. Despite this bittersweet result, Coach Romero was still incredibly proud of the way the team wrestled. “We performed excellent today, the guys really gave it their all, wrestling both hard and smart,” he expressed.
Senior Ben Fishman attributed this constant inability to finish out matches to the overall inexperience of the team’s line up, especially in the lighter weight groups. Often times, the older, more experienced wrestlers have to fight back from an almost insurmountable deficit created in previous matchups. “The lightweights on our team are somewhat inexperienced which left much of the responsibility on the heavy weights, but there’s nothing we can do about that,” explained Fishman.
In many aspects, this last trimeet perfectly embodied the Rockets’ entire season:coming close to success yet ultimately falling short. The fact that such a young squad could challenge veteran teams with six to seven seniors highlights the marked improvements the Rockets have made since the beginning of the season. “They definitely exceeded my expectations for the season. Seeing that they’ve been able to grasp the sport so quickly, it’s beyond me,” boasted Coach Romero.
With the season over, the team is looking forward and hoping to continue to hone the skill of their younger wrestlers. After working with them for the past year, senior Henry Blackburn was especially optimistic for the future of this squad. “I’m willing to bet that in a few years, if our coaches, players, and captains stick to it, it’s going to turn into a high caliber program,” he predicted.
Yet, the three seniors, Henry Blackburn, Ben Fishman, and Marc Flores, will not be there to see the team prosper. While it is difficult for all three athletes to leave the team, it is particularly hard for Blackburn, who joined the team in his freshman year after moving to RM from West Virginia and knowing nobody. “The only thing I knew back in West Virginia was that I did wrestling once, so I joined wrestling here … over the past four years, I’ve made friends, I’ve made family, and this team has really meant alot to me, especially in a tough time,” Blackburn commented.
In a year of rebuilding, the RM varsity wrestling team fought hard for each match, and struggled to bring each match close in score.Yet with the potential found in their young squad, the Rockets are looking to train hard and come back next season to challenge even the toughest opponents.
