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It’s hard to believe that the Winchester High School Red & Black wrestling team (6-3) is in the middle of the final week of the dual meet season.
The Winchester wrestlers have been hovering around .500, but a 49-19 victory over the non-league Marblehead Black & Blue co-op squad Tuesday night (Feb. 4) secured the team’s sixth win.
They have since been getting ready for Saturday’s (Feb. 8) quad match at Greater Lowell Regional Technical School in Tyngsboro at 10 a.m., where they will be competing against Gloucester, Franklin and of course the host team.
“It’s been a great season and learning experience for everyone on the team,” said Assistant Coach Vitaly Napadow. “We swept away Belmont on Senior Night (Jan. 29), 45-21, with a bunch of seniors, whether starters or not, getting a chance to compete on the mat in front of their parents. It was fun to hear the fans get into it.”
On Feb. 1, the team participated in the Duxbury Dual Tournament, going 2-1. The Red & Black defeated Dighton’s Bristol Aggie (62-16) and Boston Latin (48-23), before dropping a close encounter to host Duxbury.
Winchester led early, 28-12, but the Green Wave roared back to win, 49-28.
Henry Wallace (3 wins, 2 by pin), Kai Napadow Baquero (3 wins, 1 by pin) and Eddie Donlon (3 wins, 1 by pin) stood out throughout this tournament.
Wins were also secured by Leo Gannon, Andrew Sim (2 wins, 1 by pin), Beni Curcio, Miles Conlin, Caleb Kohlberg, Ilyas Malik, Aiden Aharonian and Omar Alosta.
“When we have a full team of starters, the results tend to be better,” said Napadow. “Let’s all now get healthy for the postseason (to see what they can do against the rest of the state).”
The Red & Black welcomed Coach Tomi Uyehara to the program for the remainder of the season. Uyehara, who wrestled for Wesleyan University in college, will work with the Winchester wrestlers at least three days a week to improve their techniques. He also teaches at the MetroWest United Wrestling Club in Natick.
The new assistant is helping them get ready for the aforementioned Greater Lowell Tech quad matchup on Saturday (Feb. 8). Gloucester, a team that they tied in a weekend matchup at West Springfield on Jan. 25, is scheduled to be one of their opponents, along with Franklin and Greater Lowell.
“All three opponents will be tough,” said Napadow.
The team’s merchandise store is now open and will stay open for a few weeks through Feb. 23. The team gear is being offered at cost, certainly a bargain for all Red & Black fans.
