Insight From The Mat.
by Ava Lowe and Bailey Freedman
Northern High School’s wrestling team is doing exceptionally well so far with a current team record of seven wins and four losses. With the team’s grit and comradery alongside the addition of a new head coach, Cam Watkins, their success shows greatly. Watkins formerly coached wrestling at St. John’s College High School (Washington DC) before being hired as the varsity wrestling coach for the Patriots.
Northern High School’s wrestlers hold a rewarding season so far with great accomplishments that came from greater perseverance and strength. Senior Ryan Abner said, “My proudest moment so far this season was becoming team captain.” Being appointed as team captain is an immense accomplishment in any sport and deserves to be recognized. Senior Marco LoVecchio said “my proudest moment was going 4-2 at the South River duals.” This was a very crucial match for the team because many were convinced Northern was going to lose. Junior Evan Scott said, “My proudest moment is our team winning the South River dual that no one thought we would win.”
The Patriot Classic is an annual wrestling tournament that Northern High School hosts and schools from all across Maryland come and compete. Junior Carsten Wingard said, “My proudest moment so far this season was competing in the Patriot Classic, which was a big achievement for me being only a second-year wrestler.” Many of the wrestlers found this moment to be one of their favorite season highlights. Junior Drew Montgomery, returning to the Northern High School’s wrestling team in early December of 2023 after previously transferring to St. Mary’s Ryken High School for his junior year, said, “My proudest moment this season so far was winning the Patriot Classic and pinning my opponent in our finals.”
The team has had an excellent run so far this season, but the team believes their successes come from the team’s spirit, which has heavily improved from previous years. Junior Colin Napoli said, “My fellow teammates and I have improved a ton from last season while our team is very unified unlike any year prior, I think this will be the best season yet!” The unity is what makes the wrestlers who they are as a team, and is one of the key components of taking home an overall team win. Abner said, “The team has heavily improved since last year, our team is more serious this year, and we are working toward a state championship. The all around culture of our team has been positive and I would like to think it was heavily impacted by our new head coach, Coach Cam.” The ambition the team has gained since previous years is incredible, and these boys cannot be recognized without crediting their new dedicated coach’s guidance. LoVecchio said, “The team has more chemistry than any other team I’ve ever been on and it’s great to be a part of it.”
Having such a strong foot forward thus far, the team has much to look forward to for the remainder of the 2023-2024 wrestling season. The strong and determined wrestlers are willing to work together as a team to achieve goals like never before and become a threat to opposing wrestlers on the mat. Looking forward to future matches, the boys continue their grit within their personal and team workouts in preparation to show off their Patriot strength.