The Grappling Atoms prepare to take on the Yorktown Patriots for Senior Night today and the Mount Vernon Majors tomorrow for their final district game. Their last meet was last Wednesday, a district dual meet, losing to the Hayfield Hawks (36-41) but coming out victorious against the Thomas Jefferson Colonials, winning (45-30).
Despite their loss against the Hawks, a memorable moment emerged when freshman varsity wrestler Blaise McNeill was just points away from a techfall but came back and won.
Feeling confident after their last meet, the Atoms anticipate their upcoming meet, preparing for a close match against the Patriots and Majors.
“Even though we still have newer guys [on the team] we always keep things tight in scores,” senior Varsity Captain Carlos Monjaras said.
Being a young team, the Atoms have been working diligently in order to wrestle competitively against their opponents.
“Because we’re in the final stretch of the season, we’re focused a lot more on conditioning and mastering what we know in preparation for districts,” senior on varsity Timothy Mahoney said. “The conditioning has gotten harder in practice but getting used to that level of intensity is a good feeling for me,” he added.
Doing hard things with teammates can build bonds between Atoms and many wrestlers find community in their team. Although the physicality of the sport itself is a main draw, teammates can become to feel like family and that can be equally rewarding. For many wrestlers, the initial spark to try out the sport came from their peers:
“I started wrestling because a friend told me to join. In eighth grade, we planned to practice together and even go to tournaments, but he moved away. I still decided to stick with it and keep training because I wanted to give it a try,” freshman varsity wrestler Sayed “Ali” Mahboob said. “Now it’s different—I genuinely love the sport, and that’s what keeps me going,” he added.
The community combined with love for the sport combines to create a great experience:
“[The teammates and coaches] are a family—we laugh during the good moments, they support me when I need it, and they stand by me when I lose and cheer for me when I win.” he added.
For any athlete that has done high school sports, going to practice and competing daily becomes a habit. For Mahoney, the fact that this daily routine is going to end soon is becoming apparent:
“As a senior, it’s a strange feeling knowing I won’t be able to compete in another season of wrestling in high school,” he said.
As he grapples with those feelings, he also reminisces over his past two years in the program. “[L]ooking back on this season and the great times I’ve had with this team, I’m very happy with how it went,” he added.
Through these daily practices, it’s not only physical aspects such as strength, speed, and endurance that determine a wrestler’s success. There are certain mental qualities that can make for a solid competitor on the mat.
“[Being disciplined is] helpful on the mat by making sure you aren’t sloppy and only hitting moves you know. And it’s helpful off the mat by eating healthy and making sure you’re on weight,” Mahoney said.
While staying disciplined wrestlers are taught to hold themselves accountable. Mahboob discusses important qualities of wrestlers for him:
“[An important quality] is having heart. When I step on the mat, I keep fighting no matter what. My coaches remind me to have good body language—no giving up and no looking defeated. Once we’re in the match, we fight until the end,” Mahboob said.
To prepare for districts, the Grappling Atoms are applying these qualities when perfecting their skills to find success in the post-season. Specifically, they have been doing hand fighting and head position drills often to prepare. Monjaras has been focused on improving by getting quick shots in during matches and keeping himself low to the ground. He hopes by doing this he “can score from spots where [he’s] not used to.”
Support the Atoms at their meets today and tomorrow and follow along with updates on Instagram @grappling_atoms.
