On Saturday, Andover earned three pins against its competitors from Brooks for the second meet in a row. Alex El Adl ’19, Jack O’Neil ’19, and Co-Captain Pierce Bausano ’18 each pinned their opponents. The match was originally scheduled as a tri-meet, but Andover High School was not able to attend due to the snow. Despite strong performances, Andover ended up narrowly losing the match 36-35, which dropped its record to 1-2.
O’Neil was able to continue his winning streak as he secured his third straight pin to start off the season. The team also received a great win from Adam Cohen ’18, according to Eamon Garrity-Rokous ’20.
“Adam Cohen [had] a most spectacular match on his feet and on top” said Garrity-Rokous.
According to Co-Captain Pablo Sanchez ’19, the team has strong potential, but it has work on bringing more energy to each match.
Sanchez said, “[The wrestlers need to] work harder to score bonus points, which could prove to be crucial in close meets like these… I definitely think this team has the talent and grit to hang with any team in [the New England Preparatory School Athletic Conference]. We just have to put it all together and wrestle with aggression and confidence.”
Agreeing with Sanchez, Marisol Nugent ’20 said, “I think that something that a lot of people on our team could work on is just being aggressive.”
According to Nugent, the team has elaborated goals for the season and will continue to work hard to reach them.
“Our team is just using these duels and losses as learning experiences, and I think come tournament time we’re going to perform really well,” said Nugent.
According to Sanchez, Andover will focus on improving its technique on the mat for future matches.
“I’m proud of how we performed. Yes, things could be improved, but that doesn’t detract from the grit and toughness we showed on the mat,” said Sanchez.
After Winter Break, Andover will travel to Northfield Mount Hermon on January 12 for its next match.
Editor’s Note: Pierce Bausano is a Business Editor for The Phillipian.
