On Wednesday, January 15, Irvington High School’s wrestling team competed in a home game against John F. Kennedy High School. Despite losing the game 16 to 55 due to empty weight classes, Irvington wrestlers felt a deep satisfaction in their performance.
Darius Motahari (9) reflected on his first win of the season. “I had 3 matches, but I won my third one with a pin,” Motahari says, “There’s a lot of reading your opponent’s movement in wrestling, but overall, it’s more about your performance than your opponent’s performance.” Similar to other students, Motahari felt that wrestling was one of the most difficult sports he had ever participated in, both mentally and physically. However, team spirit allowed each student to push through their challenges and perform to the best of their abilities. “Wrestling is a great sport for team spirit. When you see your teammates working on the mat, you feel incredibly proud,” Motahari says.
“I was really proud of my team’s performance,” says Captain Shane Takara (12). “We did have some losses, but it was a good loss; we put up a good fight.” Takara was pleasantly surprised by Irvington’s performance against Kennedy, one of the top wrestling teams in the district. However, as team captain, Takara did have some ideas for improving his teammates’ performances. “We could work on getting in better shape for wrestling,” says Takara. “One of my teammates was losing energy towards the end of his match. He won, but it was a close call.”
A majority of the points won by Kennedy were through forfeits due to Irvington’s unfilled weight classes. With 7 forfeits total, each worth 6 points, Irvington automatically lost 42 points to Kennedy. Without the forfeits, Irvington had a high chance of winning against Kennedy.
“It’s very difficult to come back from even two forfeits,” says Coach Ivan. “If you’re missing even one weight class, it can cost you the entire game.” In his final year as head coach of Irvington’s wrestling team, Coach Ivan reflected on his students’ performances and described a deep sense of pride in the team throughout the season so far.
“I will do anything for my wrestling kids. At the end of the season, I can retire and be proud knowing I gave everything I got,” says Coach Ivan. Moving forward, Coach Ivan plans to build upon his students’ signature moves and perfect their basics. “Learn your basics. Perfect your moveset. Find what works,” he advises.
