The wrestling team finished their season with an overall 6-10 record. Five team members qualified for Division I States including junior co-captain Rafael Knapp, home-schooled senior co-captain Timothy Goddard, junior Kazunari Conway, junior Colby Morgan and sophomore Adam Ayzenshtat. 

Goddard (182 lbs.) won the Division I title at the Divisional Championships, and Goddard and Knapp (160 lbs.) each took third place at the All-State Wrestling Tournament. In doing so both qualified to compete at New Englands. At the New England Championship, the team placed 14th out of 134 teams. Goddard placed second and Knapp placed third in their respective weight classes.

Knapp looks back at the team’s season and looks forward to the future.

What is your overall opinion of the season?

“It’s been a really good season overall as a team, myself included. We have a really young team, and we overcame a lot of things. Personally I had a really good season.”

How did you and the team prepare for States?

“We were training in the room and we went to Natick for two of our practices. I practice with my partner, senior Tim Goddard. He is a really good partner and is really good as well.”

What are some things as a captain you could keep for next year? What are some things you would change?

“I feel like we have a really good team energy. We have a lot of kids who are passionate. We had a lot of good attendance. I think the only thing I have to change [next year] is getting a lot more kids trying out for the team. That was the only thing lacking this year. We had a lot of good talent on the team. The team is young, and hopefully next year we bring in a lot more kids.”

How has COVID-19 impacted your season?

“The only thing was the Omicron outbreak. A lot of stuff got canceled; it was a bummer. We couldn’t wrestle some of the teams we were supposed to.”

What is the team’s biggest challenge?

“Our team’s biggest struggle was experience. We had a lot of freshmen and sophomores. We only had one senior on the team. The biggest challenge on the team was experience but I wouldn’t even say it was that bad because [the wrestlers] are all really young. 

Do you think having younger wrestlers on the team impacted meets?

“Yeah. A lot of our freshmen and sophomores lost a lot of matches. I think in a year from now,  those kids will do a lot better. I think next year we would have a better record with all of these kids coming back.”