Wrestling Comes up Short in Quad Meet

Big Red was shut out on Saturday during its second match of the season against Timberlane, Framingham and Noble High Schools. The team earned 18-58, 31-41 and 33-36 points in each game, respectively. This was a crushing blow to a previously acclaimed team that finished at the top last year, securing the Class A Championship, a New England Championship title, and finishing strong at the national championship hosted at Lehigh University.

"While acknowledging the high caliber of skill the other teams presented, Lagasse noted there are improvements Big Red could make to strengthen the team."

Lower Tyler Morris explained that the loss at the meet should be viewed in a positive light. “I think the matches today can be looked at as a learning experience for everyone,” he said.

Morris also pointed out a key component to winnning competitions. “Our team needs to wrestle with grit,” he said. “We need some guys to step up....[so] we don’t give up important team points in pins.” Lower Ethan Rosenthal attributes past accomplishments to the team’s strong dynamic. “We have a lot of second and first year guys who have to step up and perform if we want to be close to the team we were last year,” he said.

Upper Henry Lagasse expressed discontent with players giving up extra points that cost the team a win. “Many of the kids gave up points towards the end of matches that could have easily been prevented,” he said. “These extra points scored end up being the difference in team scores.”

While acknowledging the high caliber of skill the other teams presented, Lagasse noted there are improvements Big Red could make to strengthen the team. “There are a few things that we all need to work on,” he said. “Those were some very good public schools in the area and we handled them well.”

Despite the defeat, the team remains positive and supportive. Lagasse attributed past success to the team’s strong leaders. “I hope to keep an atmosphere where the more experienced kids help the newer kids which will help the team this year and in years to come,” he said. While wrestling remains a primarily individual sport, the team is held together as a tight-knit group. “We will all be on the sidelines cheering on our teammates. It’s a great energy that really helps during your match,” he added.

Rosenthal emphasized that in the future, the team needs to start and finish every match with the same intensity to avoid last-minute losses. “We need to keep fighting until the end since there were several matches that were tied or close in score but we lost them in last 10 seconds by a lucky takedown,” he said. His teammates shared similar sentiments, saying they believed the last points of the matches could have been prevented if the wrestlers were able to sustain the intensity throughout the entirety of the meets.

Morris recognized Lagasse for his strong achievements on the mat this past weekend. “I’d like to acknowledge Henry Lagasse as the wrestler of the week with three pinfalls,” Morris said. “He wrestled with grit and got the job done when we needed him to.”

Despite a frustrating beginning to a long season, Rosenthal is confident in the ability of the team to “carry forward the power from last year [and] remain the number one team in New England.” He also elaborates that the Big Red wrestling team certainly has the skill to “regain the swamp” at this weekend’s upcoming Battle on the Bay and Beast of the East.