On Jan. 3, members of the Hollis-Brookline wrestling team traveled to Saratoga, New York for the Saratoga Invitational wrestling meet.  The team faced many challenging opponents, and the meet did not end up giving them their expected or desired outcome. The team placed 14th out of the 15 teams that attended the overall meet.

To prepare for this meet, the wrestlers, as they typically do, had a pre-match practice. Intended to get the team physically and mentally ready for their upcoming meet, the pre-match practice is usually slightly easier than their regular practices but includes plenty of conditioning. “The day before meets, we have an all technique practice to get prepared for it,” said Troy Moscatelli ‘22. 

At the meet, RJ McAdams ‘22 and Moscatelli both faced difficult opponents, and ended with no wins. However, several wrestlers on the team came out of the meet with several wins and proudly represented Hollis-Brookline. Teddy Mocatelli ‘21 and Hunter Hudzik ‘21 placed fifth and sixth overall. 

Despite individual wins, the wrestlers were disappointed with the outcome of this meet. After losing many important seniors this year, the team has been struggling.

“The team has very big shoes to fill after eight seniors left last year,” said Luke Wang ‘22. However, they are constantly working hard, practicing and improving their abilities as individuals and as a whole team. “It’s a rebuilding year for the boys. We’ve got a lot of work to do if we want to win another state title,” said Wang. The team is feeling hopeful about the rest of their season.

As the state meet approaches, all of the wrestlers will get a chance to wrestle at the state level. However, they must qualify to move onto All States, a much more challenging league. But Moscatelli and other wrestlers are confident enough in their abilities to say that they have a good chance at advancing to this level.

Overall, the wrestlers have been working extremely hard this season; one tough meet has not dimmed their spirits.“Everyone is working hard and there’s a lot of good potential,” said Wang. They are not letting anything get in their way as they continue to persevere through the rest of their season.