In order to be successful during the wrestling season, individual athletes must train and diet in the offseason. Each wres-tler has high hopes for their season and believes that the team has a very bright future with the young talent Port has. Se-niors especially find themselves anticipat-ing difficult practices ahead to reach their ultimate goal of Conference Champions.

“During the offseason, you can do sev-eral things. Lift, run, but what really helps is going to this wrestling club in Hicks-ville called Ascend. One of our coaches runs it and some of the best wrestlers in the county train there so you can get really good,” said senior captain Scott Haggarty.

The effort during the offseason is key to success in the team. Athletes cannot expect to begin at the level they left off last season at if they do not monitor their weight or muscle buildup. However, the work during the season is essential to per-fecting the techniques of the wrestlers. A normal practice consists of weight lifting, running, and drills.

“We warm up and do seven essentials (the basic movements of the sport), and both activities are led by the captains. Then, we’ll either drill different moves, or learn a new technique and then drill,” said Haggarty.

Even if athletes train hard during cer-tain time periods in the season, they have to consistently work hard to improve.

“My opinion is that it’s a willingness to constantly work hard in practice, and put yourself out there in a match to take whatever the other guy throws at you. The only way you’ll get better is by wrestling with guys that are better than you, and in wrestling that means getting pummeled. I definitely felt that while practicing during the offseason,” said senior Jacob Keller.

However, toward the beginning of the season, they focus on the techniques of wrestling. Without proper skills, athletes cannot take down their opponents. It is not purely about weight or muscle.

“We have to teach the new kids how to wrestle. We do that for most of practice and end with either live wrestling (all out match conditions), conditioning, or both. Then, everyone checks their weight and goes home,” said Haggarty of a typical practice.

The team is full of talented underclass-men who contribute significantly to the team. Sophomore captain Daniel Gib-son placed sixth in the State tournament, and, as of the preseason, is the first in the County for his weight class. Freshman Matt Castillo and sophomores Tommy Mascia, Daron Procter, Declan Neville, Tyler Kahrar, and RJ Holt are also under-classmen standouts.

“The team is really young, like 75% underclassmen. So it’s pretty exciting for the future. We still feel we have a shot at the playoffs though, and we have a lot of young kids who could really show up this year,” said senior Matthew Hassan.

With many strong underclassmen, the team hopes their dominance in the county will continue in the future. Starting with this season, the athletes are prepared to put in the work and effort to win.