The wrestling season kicked off with the Bayonne Tournament on December 15, and NVOT placed fourth with 118 points. The team now has a record of 12-5 after defeating Teaneck by a score of 49-23, putting them at 2nd place in the Big North League coming behind Ridgewood.  

For wrestlers, the season is packed with practices as Head Coach Robert Ortiz has the wrestlers “arriving early twice a week for morning workouts before school,” along with practices after school.

Senior Jackson Downey stated, “most of the wrestlers do off-season training,” on top of that in order to prepare for the season. This training is needed in order to keep up with the number of practices they have during the season.

NVOT’s closest match came against Northern Highlands where Old Tappan pulled out a win, 34-32, on January 3. Ortiz said that “we do have a more experienced team this year than we had last year,” which may help in tight matches like that one. With more upperclassman wrestlers on the team, they are able to pull out a win in tough matches.

Another difference than the previous years’ teams that Downey noticed was that “this year’s team is more loose and has more fun than teams in the past.” The upperclassmen wrestlers have had previous seasons together which has created a bond amongst the teammates.

Sophomore Simon Yung said that is “due to our large amount of juniors. This creates more competition and in turn a better team.” The team’s combination of experience and chemistry allows them to compete at a higher level.

Downey showed his confidence in this year’s team by saying, “The team still grinds and works hard but we have embraced the hard work.” The team’s increased unity gives Downey “expectations for the team to win a sectional title.”

These ideas are matched by Yung, who said, “I think we have a good chance of winning a sectional final along as we keep working hard to improve our skills.”

The wrestling season will continue through January into the beginning of February. The team hopes to turn their chemistry into points. Their next match is at Ridgewood, who is number one in the league, on January 23.