With the 2019-20 season now behind us, it's time to reflect on individual stories that wove together to form the fabric of the team. Continuing this series, let's look at some exceptional wrestlers on this team.
Bryce: Starting us off, we have Bryce, who's appearance is already impressive as he is a freshman. His second match of the season was against the reigning Far East Champ in the first round of the Yokota tournament, a tough draw in the unseeded format. He went on to beat the former champion 6-0 in a heated match that set the tone for the rest of the season. After tech-ing or pinning his way to the Far East Champ title to bookend the season, he finished with a 20-1 (.950) record, only beaten in a close decision match by an outstanding Olympic-track Japanese wrestler in the Beast of the East finals who tech-ed every other opponent (last year and this) easily. It's hard to demonstrate just how amazing Bryce was this season. He won the Yokota, CAJ, Kanto, and Far East tournaments! Being tied with the best dual meet record (7-0, with some matches being extremely important), he was also the team leader in 4-point takedowns and second in the team for the most pins. These stats show just how clean his wrestling was. He certainly blew our expectations out of the water and set a high bar for the future - he's a good one. Take Z: This year, Take had an amazing season. Not only his accolades, which include winning the CAJ, Yokota, and Kanto tournaments, were impressive. Take was a crucial piece of the team, winning his match against St. Mary's for 3rd at the team dual at Far East to go 3-1 against an old rival. He also tech-ed his opponent in our dual against Kinnick which allowed the team to become league champs for the first time since 2007, even though he was wrestling up a weight against the future Far East finalist at that weight. Another example of impressive wins would be him winning 13-11 in an exhibition match against the future Far East champ at a different weight, in his first match of the season. Just for good measure, Take wrestled another great match against a super tough Japanese wrestler which included overcoming the partisan refs, winning over the non-partisan crowd Rocky IV style, and a last second come-from-behind pin to win it. The fact that Take didn't lead the team in any of the statistical categories made it that much more impressive that he had the third best record on the team at 13-3 (.813). He pulled the team through when he was needed, he posterized an awesome opponent in the Kanto finals, and we can't wait to see what the future holds for this critical piece of team success. Liam: Last season was not easy on Liam, with him missing most of it overcoming an injury he sustained. This season was a complete 180 from where he was before. With a top five record, 19-5 (.792), he went from one varsity appearance last year to a 12-match winning streak to start out the season. He was impressive in many statistical categories this year, being tied for most 4-point takedowns and being top 5 in pins, takedowns, and total points scored. Liam was an incredible role model on the team, who's sportsmanship and leadership was top-notch. Maybe it was the fact that he's a Paul Anka look-a-like, or maybe it was the bond and connection he had built with every single member of the team. It all culminated in the epic last second win in his match against his opponent (who had beaten him earlier) in the dual for 3rd place against St. Mary's in the Far East dual meet tournament. If he hadn't won his extremely tight match (8-6), the team would've lost the final dual of the season. It was the first time the Mustangs had finished above them at Far East in ages. Dani: Wise men say, only fools rush in, but Dani can't help winning a match for you (...some people say he looks like Elvis). Here are some impressive facts to back up his great wrestling. He was the only wrestler in the whole team to have a full and perfect 5-0 (1.000) conference record. He led the team in dual meet team points scored. He only lost to two people all season. He had a top 5 record on the team. He was top 5 for pins on the team. He was the conference champ at 215. He was a Far East finalist. Last season Dani had a .556 winning percentage. This season, in addition to the above mentioned accomplishments, he beat tough kids who had beaten him last year and destroyed all new, up-and-coming challengers. He was a guaranteed dual meet win and the exclamation point to the dual meet victories against Kinnick (to lead us to become league champs) and both times against St. Mary's (to let us beat them at Far East). And that was how Dani "Jailhouse Rock-ed" the competition. Those were some of the wrestlers with incredible seasons. With these Mustangs coming back to lead their peers, we're looking for a repeat of their performances, or even better, to set the pace for an even more incredible season for the team.
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With the 2019-20 season now behind us, it's time to reflect on individual stories that wove together to form the fabric of the team. Let's start this series by recognizing our seniors and the value they had for the team at ASIJ.
Rin: As the undoubted MVP, Rin's improvement from his prior undefeated season was very welcome. He showed his growth as a wrestler by pinning two of his first five opponents, one during the St. Mary's league dual meet, where every team point counted. He also never got scored on the entire season. That's right. In all 20 matches of the season, nobody could score on him. That's how good he is. On the offensive end, it only took Rin an average of 1:03 to end his matches. He finished the season as the undisputed best wrestler at 158 and 148, winning the Kanto championship (158) and Far East championship (148). Rin was also the captain this year, with an extra responsibility to teach the many new wrestlers how the ASIJ team functions, both on the mat, and off. His leadership and standard-setting helped them earn the Team Sportsmanship Award at Far East. He was the captain that every wrestler could look up to and aspire to be. He, with good reason, earned the respect of the entire team, something that is invaluable as a captain of the team. Being with the team for four years, he'll be hard to not miss next season. Ira: This season Ira scored 59 takedowns in his 23 matches. For comparison, the next closest wrestler had 48 takedowns (Bryce, the freshman phenom and 108 champ). He played a crucial role as the team's captain through leading by example. With all the younger wrestlers looking up to him, he demonstrated how to set up shots, take shots, and win matches. His value to the team was not only the example he set, but also with his 4th place finish at Far East adding to the team's points. It would be a disservice to not talk about his sportsmanship and value as a captain in more detail. Before dual meets, he would gather the team and speak to their hearts. This is no doubt one of the reasons why he is the proud owner of the Coach's Award. With many, many new wrestlers (and freshmen) coming in, he helped create and strengthen the bonds between them and the existing team. Although they played many "stupid" games, they were a testament to the bond that the team had achieved and made everyone feel more like a family than just a group of people that wrestled. There's no doubt the team will miss having him after his four years on the team. Keibun: With a season of injury last year, Keibun was excited to finally wrestle again his this season. He showed off his training in a match with a double leg resulting in the only 5 point takedown on anyone in the team. With great execution in his wrestling, he walked away with an overall 4-5 record and many memorable wins and moments with the team. The team will undoubtedly miss his bright and optimistic aura after his three years on the team. Yo: Yo's time in practices was where a great demonstration of determination and tenacity to become better was exemplified. He had other responsibilities, notably ski season, but he still came to practices and put in every ounce of effort he could. He helped the team set the pace for the rest of the season with his win during the very first wrestling event of the year. Even though he's only been on the team for two years, he is one of the greatest examples of striving to become better no matter what. That's it for our seniors this year. We will miss them all greatly and we hope the team can follow their example of improvement and continue to even greater heights after their absence! |
PhilSend me a note at [email protected] if you have ideas for a story or corrections/additions to these write-ups. Archives
March 2020
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