Gabriela Parini Cordova also contributed to this article. All photos submitted by Cristofer Hernandez.
The wrestling season has come to an end after the team persevered through its ups and downs. The team started their senior night by introducing the seniors from Lexington’s wrestling team and the seniors from the Greater Boston League (GBL) wrestling team while passing out flowers to them. The GBL coaches gave heartwarming speeches about each wrestler on the team and how much they have impacted the team, not only wrestlers but as people.
After the crowd had their hearts warmed by all the speeches, it was time to wrestle. One by one, each player went up and gave it their all for senior night, hoping for one last win. Lexington was a hard fight; the GBL team pushed through and was able to get a few points before ultimately losing 42-12.
Mark Sylvain and Christopher Seccareccio moved on at sectionals as they went against teams from all over Massachusetts. This was the first time sectionals had been held inside of Malden High School, which gave the wrestlers more familiarity and excitement. After beating some tough matches, Seccareccio went on to the State Tournament, but it ultimately ended in a loss.
This season, the players managed to use every setback as an opportunity to improve and come back stronger. “I think as a wrestler, I’ve really learned how to deal with the losses and learn from them, rather than look at the bad side, but I also think I’ve improved a lot of my technique,” junior David Parada explained.
Senior Obert Jean Louis admitted that he felt more pressure from sectionals than other tournaments because he knew that “sectionals might be the last wrestling event I would compete in for my high school career. To me, all my previous competitions didn’t matter, only this.” However, he agreed with Parada, saying, “Losing was a challenge because you got to realize you’re not always going to win, but you have to push yourself to do better and win next time.”
The team members will be missed, not only for their talent on the mat but also for the leadership and dedication they brought to the team throughout the season. “They’ve all become better wrestlers as well as developed into leaders. At the beginning of the year, we weren’t a cohesive team, but by the end of the year, the seniors had brought everyone together. They make sure everyone stays accountable and develops into amazing leaders,” Coach Eli Guttentag stated.
“Coming from all aspects and towns and committing to practice knowing that they go late teaches you an important role: sticking to something and committing to it and continuing to progressively see the growth in yourself and the growth in your team as well,” Coach Kevin Isaza said. The valuable lessons learned through wrestling, such as discipline and teamwork, are what the coaches hope the seniors will carry out into their everyday lives as they continue to grow and face new challenges. “I think the seniors will see how important this is, especially as they go on to their future endeavors, in the workplace, in their relationships, in their families, as well as other things that they may do. They’ll see the toughness that they inhabited during this season will help them in those scenarios because they’ll know that aspect of not quitting.”
Throughout the season, the seniors faced numerous challenges. “A lot of our seniors don’t have as much experience as some of the other guys,” said Guttentag. “A lot of them are really new wrestlers, so dealing with competing, especially as a leader on the team with guys or girls that have been wrestling for many, many years, is really tough.”
Guttentag claimed that there is a balance of how to be a leader on this team, but also not having that much wrestling experience. That was definitely an issue, but they handled it with grace, win or lose.”
Although it was difficult at times, they found ways to persevere through the struggles. “They used their age and strength to overcome a lot of those deficits, and that’s really a testament to all the work they’ve put in this year,” Guttentag expressed.
Isaza acknowledged how the moments of growth and hard work are what define the bond that the team shares. “The seniors will be missed. They shared an aspect of this team, which is family, and all the seniors carried that onto the team. We’re here every day, we’re working hard every day, we’re in the same room whether we come from Revere, or whether we come from Malden, Everett, Chelsea, or Medford, we’re all one family. The seniors laid down the foundation for this program, and it’ll continue to be a special part of their lives.”
Jean Louis remarked that “this year was different; the members of the team came in with new energy, and they were locked in. Everybody knew that the only way to get better was to be at practice. They did just that. The matches that we had and won are evidence of that.”
The coaches have noticed significant improvements in each player, both personally and in their wrestling skills. Among these players is Mark Sylvain, a student from Everett High School. “I have seen guys like Mark; his first year was last year, and the tremendous growth that he had within a year and how he was able to grow in his technique, continue coming to practice, and continue being tough throughout tournaments,” explained Isaza.
He also went on to mention how Jean Louis “is another special guy on our team who I’ve had the pleasure of coaching. This is my second year coaching him, and I’ve seen all the growth he has had both on and off the mat. He’s been much more committed this year to himself and continues to get better daily.”
“As a team, we’re definitely more successful than the past years, and I hope we continue to grow,” Parada said. Jean Louis believed that his resilience improved a lot from sections and that he faced “a lot of difficulties there, and these difficulties will only make me stronger.”
“This is a big commitment, and not everyone is cut out for this sport, but this tough sport makes you a tougher person. Seeing these seniors grow from boys to men and from girls to women has been very special to me because I’ve seen them grow in a lot of different ways,” Isaza finished.
