Beginning the New Season With a Goal

By CHAIMAE EL ADLOUNI The wrestling team wasn’t well known through the high school, but they have won numerous Individual trophies. They strive to get new recruits. Their goal right now is to gain more people that may be interested in wrestling. It’s a fun sport if you know what it’s about. The numbers of pins you have are the number of points you have too. Pins are when you get your opponent on his back while the ref exceeds counting after three. The ref starts the count and if you can hold the opponent down on the floor then you will most likely win. Wrestling is an individual sport which requires a person to be physically and mentally prepared.  The two oldest members who’ve been there for three consecutive years are juniors Nidal Hishmeh and Jean Gedeon. They have gained a few recruits. Many returning members such as junior P.J. West. They are expanding on their list of players. Their coach is Mr. Smith an English teacher at Malden High School.

The coach is hopeful for his team. Mr. Smith doesn’t yet know how the season may go but he is sure there are “individuals who will be successful in placing”. Mr. Smith’s goals are to fill the 14 weight classes, last year only 9 or 10 were filled. Monday the 26th will be their first practice as a team. This year the coach wants to focus on weight training, and physical fitness. Two players have placed in sectionals and one in states; junior Jean Gedeon placed 45th in sectionals, Senior Rufus Arrah Effege placed 150th in sectionals and 57th in states. Hopefully there will be more added to that list. Hishmeh says that “the older kids on the team need to step up and show leadership”. Hishmeh and all the other players seem to want to improve this year more than the last and place at sectionals or even states.

In their game on saturday December 8th the wrestling team had a three match, they lost the three but players Hishmeh, Gedeon , and Arrah played very well according to Coach Smith. The first match against Billerica the score was 34-16 home, the second match was against  Shawsheen 45-3 home, the next match was against the Minutemen 42-40. The next game is Tuesday December 11 against Cambridge.