By Tammer Bagdasarian ’20
The varsity and junior varsity wrestling teams ended their seasons with six CIF qualifiers and a combined 1-3 record. Both squads ended division play on Jan. 28, placing fourth out of five teams in the Mission League finals. They also competed in CIF championships on Feb. 17, where they had multiple victories, but did not win the championship. Program Head Patrick Cartmill said that although the team did not perform as well as he had hoped at the beginning of the season, he was very happy with how the program did in the second half of the season and is looking to improve going forward.
“Our guys worked as hard as anybody around. The transformation that we made coming back from winter break until now has been pretty special. The kids deserve credit for putting everything they could into their work, and I am really proud of how they ended the season,” Cartmill said.
The varsity and JV teams competed together for many of the division meets and tournaments. The squad placed in several tournaments, and also won its first duel in over three years. Cartmill said that the team achieved many of the goals that he set for them and that the program will continue to improve.
“We qualified six guys for CIF, and that was one of the main goals I had for the team. Winning a duel was also a big deal, because the last time we did that was in 2015. We want to keep climbing, and I think we can set even higher goals next season,” Cartmill said.
The team plans to recruit more wrestlers every year in the Middle School so that they can later compete at the varsity level. JV wrestler John Cahill ‘20 has been wrestling since seventh grade, and said that he was proud of how the team performed this season.
“We did everything we could to win as much as possible this season. We put in the work, and I think it showed up in our performances. I think the team will keep improving, and I look forward to seeing how we will do next year,” Cahill said.
The middle school team competed in several Delphic League matches this season and qualified for Delphic League finals on Feb. 4, where they placed second. The squad also finished with an overall record of 75 – 25 in Delphic League individual matches. The squad’s 75 wins were the most that they have had in several years. Middle school coach Dan Peiffer said that he is proud of how hard the wrestlers worked during practices and matches.
“The guys are smart, talented and hard-working. That is really all we needed, and I know that we will continue to improve if our guys persevere,” Peiffer said.
Peiffer also said that the key to performing well is recruiting more wrestlers. This year, the squad recruited the most wrestlers in the past few years. Gabe Glassman ‘22 wrestled for the first time this year and said that he enjoyed the new experience.
“I think the wrestling season went well. We had many practices, and the hard work paid off. I hope we can expand the team and the weight classes for next year,” Glassman said.
