By Daphné Panié

The RCDS Varsity Wrestling team has had an amazing season despite its small size and large number of underclassmen. Led by Harry Moss ‘26 and Joseph Rafferty ‘26, the team has grown tremendously throughout the season. 

On February 7th, the team competed in the NYSAIS championship. Multiple Wildcat wrestlers placed in the top five of their respective weight categories, and Kenji Clark ’29 placed first. 

Reflecting on the season, Moss shared how proud he was of everyone on the team. However, he stated that the team’s small size prevented them from winning many of their matches, as they could not have people compete in all the categories. He added that everyone but two players on the team did not place in last weekend’s tournament, emphasizing the team’s strength and determination. Moss hopes that in the future, more students will join the team, allowing them to win more competitions. He encouraged underclassmen to try out the sport in the future. “While wrestling is a hard sport and may intimidate students at first, it is a great sport from which you can learn a lot. After a season, students will have grown tremendously.”

Jacob Maldonado ‘28 also regrets the lack of students on the team; however, he shared that “when it came to skills and winning individual matches, the team did very well.” Brayan Escalante ‘28 added that “we might not have had the quantity we wanted to have, but we had the quality needed.”

Moss explained that overall, the team is “a great community, maybe because it is a small team. It is a welcoming environment where everyone is friendly and casual.”

While the team has no more meets, Kenji Clark ’29 will compete in the state competition, promising a great future. 

Despite facing challenges, the team has shown immense progression and skills throughout the season, setting the stage for future successes in the upcoming years.