On Jan. 20, the Aragon wrestling team battled Carlmont in a sequence of tough matches. While the boys varsity team took a hard loss with a final score of 9-71, the varsity girls had a closer 18-30 defeat. This season, difficult meets aren’t a surprise for the team due to a certain significant change.
“It was pretty rough since we moved up a division from last year,” said junior Perlina Tse. “Everybody we’ve been going against is more challenging.”
Aragon also had a few things physically holding them back on meet day.
“[Some players] got hurt,” said head coach Angelo Goumenidis. “Some weren’t fully prepared and I didn’t really have all my team there because it was the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day.”
The meet began with the girls varsity matches. Matches have three periods that are each two short minutes long.
“[During matches,] you have to think very quickly,” Tse said. “If something’s not working, you have to switch up your moves. Opportunities won’t show themselves outright.”
The lineups of both girls teams had several gaps, meaning there wasn’t anyone to wrestle in some weight classes. This led to many points being earned purely from forfeits. Only three matches were played out, and Carlmont managed to triumph in each.
“It was the most humbling thing ever,” Tse said. “But that’s okay, because that’s what loss is for. It’s for people to grow from.”
After three forfeits from Carlmont, each worth six points to Aragon, the girls team was able to end their meet with a competitive final score.
The team considered how they can inspire each other to reach their collective potential as they face their upcoming meets.
“I have a lot of friends on the team, and [when] I see them … working hard, it makes me want to work hard,” said sophomore Cali McFadden. “[The team is] pretty close, so we motivate and encourage each other.”
The boys teams had more players, and therefore more matches, with ten bouts being played. Overall, there was only one forfeit from the Aragon side and none from Carlmont.
With win after win in the first few matches, Carlmont dominated the mat. In doing so, they successfully demotivated the Aragon wrestlers.
“After our first few losses, we all got pretty discouraged,” said sophomore John Schwab. “I think we definitely could have won more matches than we did, but we all just gave up a little bit, and that made the biggest difference.”
However, sophomore Drew Benavente did not give up and was able to overcome his opponent, putting Aragon on the scoreboard.
“[Drew] did a really good job being in control, sitting on top, [and] using his hips to control his opponent,” Goumenidis said.
Looking back, Benavente highlights his focus going into his match.
“The main goal was to be aggressive on him right as the match started,” Benavente said. “I needed to let myself dictate how the match would go, instead of letting him take the wheel.”
Still, this victory was Aragon’s first and last of the night. With each game, Carlmont made their skill more and more apparent.
“Carlmont’s a really good team,” Goumenidis said. “So I understand [the loss]. I have a lot of hope for my team. They have a lot of potential. I know they can do a lot better, but it’s just coming to practice all the time, being prepared [and] being ready to wrestle.”
After the final match ended, Aragon players huddled together to strategize on how to perform better in their next meet.
“It’s not going to get any easier from now, so [we need to] train harder, work harder and [remember that] this is a great opportunity for all of us,” Tse said. “It’s not a bad thing to lose. [This way, we’ll make] improvements, and we can take what we’ve learned to use for our next matches.”
The team continued to reflect on what led to the disappointing results.
“When you go into a match thinking you’re gonna lose, you’re gonna lose,” said freshman Madeleine Kasai. “[But] honestly, not getting psyched out and staying calm and confident is really hard.”
Although this result wasn’t the desired outcome, the team hopes to improve on their performance as they roll into the second half of the season.
“The loss really gets us,” Tse said. “[It] makes us want to win even more, and [provides] our drive to push further.”
ow, the team looks ahead to Feb. 14 for a CCS away meet held at Gunn High School.
