On Wednesday night in their home gymnasium, the Richard Montgomery varsity wrestling team faced off against BCC, one of the heavyweights of the division, who had beaten them 80-0 last year. Despite their best efforts, the Rockets were unable to pull off a victory in their first game of the season, and fell to the Barons with a final score of 63-13.
The Rockets got off to a slow start, losing their first four matches in quick succession. Already down 45-0, things were looking bleak for the boys. With morale at a low point, the team really needed something to get their spirits back up.
Looking to finally put some points up on the board, sophomore Nino Pedone stepped up to the mat, bouncing around with energy, as he and his opponent circled each other. Taking his opponent by surprise, Pedone managed to pull him to the ground and after struggling for a while, giving the Rockets their first match win. The entire team was on their feet shouting ecstatically as they had finally found some hope.
Following their first win, the Rockets managed to take advantage of this momentum to win another, shrinking the gap to 45-10. However, BCC quickly regained their footing and confidence as the Barons quickly won their next match.
There was still hope for RM though, with senior captain Chhiring Sherpa stepping up to the mat. As he and his opponent circled the mat cautiously, Sherpa seemed to gradually gain the upper hand, taking his opponent down to the mat multiple times, but just couldn’t finish with a pin. Although his teammates cheered him on very hard, Sherpa suddenly found himself on the ground, giving up a crucial loss.
Sherpa was visibly disappointed by his performance today, saying,“my ego was my problem today, I let myself get to confident and he took me by surprise”. With only two matches left, defeat was imminent for the boys, but that didn’t stop them from trying their best.
Sophomore Freddy Martinez managed to defeat his opponent, gaining three points for the team. “I felt I did pretty good today”, said Martinez, “I may have made a few minor mistakes but overall I did pretty good”. Unfortunately, a forfeit for the Rockets marked the end of the road for them today.
The loss, however, did not break the team’s spirit. Looking at the match from a positive perspective, Sherpa said, “This is a tough team, BCC has been good for years now. Whereas last year they beat us about 80-0, I think this year we did much better, keeping it closer and winning some matches.” Coach James too wasn’t worried by the team’s performance today, attributing their loss to inexperience. “It was their first time on the mat this season” he explained, “we still have a lot to figure out with the new team and we have to keep drilling to get better.”
Captain Baiquni Iman-Santoso saw it as a sort of eye opener for their troubles, adding, “We have a lot to improve on, definitely stamina and technique.” The team hopes to take this loss as a chance to learn from their mistakes so they can prepare for their next match.
Featured photo by Michael Pan
