The seeds for achievement had been sown final yr when St. Sebastian’s checked in with a formidable 10-4 season.
The Arrows have taken that success and gone to the subsequent stage.
St. Sebastian’s has opened the season by going 11-2, the losses by the hands of undefeated ISL energy Belmont Hill and a one-loss Roxbury Latin squad. This is exactly what head coach Matt Willey envisioned within the preseason.
“I thought coming in that we were going to be a much better team,” stated Willey, who took over as head coach 4 years in the past. “We had some good guys coming back and we’ve had other guys step up.”
Wrestling has all the time been in Willey’s DNA. He wrestled for Kevin Cummings at Arlington and later returned as an assistant coach.
“Pretty much everything I do as a coach comes from (Cummings),” Willey stated. “I just learned so much from him in my time there as a wrestler and as a coach.”
Willey performed membership lacrosse at UMass, then earned his grasp’s diploma on the University of Hawaii. Hawaii may be paradise to some, but it surely wasn’t residence for Willey and he returned to Massachusetts six years in the past.
He joined St. Sebastian’s in 2018 as a center college instructor in addition to the wrestling coach. The climb in direction of the highest continues to be just a few steps away, however the Arrows are clearly trending in the fitting path because the 11-2 begin represents the most effective within the college’s 14-year historical past as a sport.
The energy of the workforce lies within the higher weights. Landon Bailey captured the Tabor Tournament at 215 kilos and entered the week undefeated as did heavyweight Quincy Pickett, a Boston Herald All-Scholastic choice.
In addition to Bailey’s effort on the Tabor Tournament, different Arrows who positioned included Seamus McDonough (third at 157 kilos), Nolan Wishart (sixth at 138), Jack Usechek (sixth at 132), Eddie Zhang (fourth at 126) and Luis Espinal (sixth at 120), Usechek and Wishart are eighth graders and Willey hasn’t batted an eye fixed throwing them into the varsity waters.
“I would never put them out there if I had any concerns,” Willey stated. “They’re both very skilled wrestlers who are used to wrestling older guys now. Every week we have a wrestle off and they’ve proven that they belong in the lineup.”
A lineup making historical past each single day.
Big doings in Arlington
Brady Bekkenhuis might have been spending the winter months grabbing rebounds for the Arlington basketball workforce. Instead, the freshman determined to take his 6-foot-5, 273-pound physique and trot right down to The Pit to develop into a member of the college’s wrestling program.
Because of his dimension, Bekkenhuis normally winds up wrestling in opposition to heavyweights a number of years older. Bekkenhuis will not be overmatched as evidenced by his 18-6 document.
“I’ve never worried about the age thing.” Bekkenhuis stated. “I just go out there and try to do my thing. It is a tough sport but I really enjoy it and it’s helping me get better for football.”
Longtime head coach Kevin Cummings had an eye fixed on Bekkenhuis ever since he arrived on the Ottoson Middle School. One by no means is aware of for certain what athletic paths a scholar/athlete determined to embark on when he will get to highschool, however Cummings was optimistic Bekkenhuis would finally go for a singlet.
“We knew that Brady had an interest in wrestling early on,” Cummings stated. “I think what really as well helped was the fact that we have 20 freshmen on the team and he’s friends with a lot of them.”
Like any first-year varsity wrestler, Bekkenhuis has had his ups and downs, however Cummings sees the progress each day.
“Brady is a big, athletic kid who is getting better with each week,” Cummings stated. “His compete level is very good. He lost a match last week that, a month ago, he probably got pinned.”
The progress is due largely to the work Bekkenhuis places in each day. Cummings has introduced in a number of alumni to coach with him, together with former state champion Dennis Cha.
“The big thing that’s helped me as the season has gone on is my stamina and my knowledge of the sport,” Bekkenhuis stated. “It’s a unique sport in that it is you vs. you – you’ll get what you put into it.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com