The Indian Hills Braves wrestling team started their season off with a bang as they dominated the Paterson Kennedy Knights in their home opener, putting up an astonishing fifty-seven points on them. Those fifty-seven points came from the ten matches that the Braves won over the Knights when they faced each other, with nine of those victories coming from pins. And yes, that number is correct, the Braves corralled nine wins by fall or pin against Paterson Kennedy. It was truly an opening night to remember for Indian Hills as this match sparked the beginning of an incredibly successful season that the Braves would have.
The match began at weight class 106 where freshman Jordan Madonna impressively pinned his opponent in 11 seconds and won the match by fall. It was Madonna’s varsity debut for the Braves, and he stated that, “Getting my first varsity win at home on opening night was truly special. I think as a freshman picking up a fast pin really allowed an electrifying start to the opening night match. I was so happy to pick up my first varsity win in a great fashion and really hype up my team, on the first match of the year under the spotlight.” That incredible first match by Madonna was followed with more Braves dominance as juniors Nick Pellegrini, Andrew Finale, and Chris Rosamond all secured wins by fall at weight classes 113, 126, and 132. All three juniors have been very exceptional for the Braves Wrestling team during their freshman and sophomore years, and it’s looking like they will continue this streak of excellence into their junior year. After those four pins Indian Hills was up on Paterson Kennedy 24-6, with Paterson Kennedy only winning one of the first five matches. The Braves were then aided by more freshman excellence as Christian Pellegrini secured a pin and got his first ever varsity win for Indian Hills. Just like his older brother Nick Pellegrini, Christian Pellegrini is also shaping up to be a great wrestler for the Braves and their team. The Braves had now won three matches in a row, all by pin, and would win one more before losing the match after. The fourth and final win of the streak came at weight class 144 where sophomore Brandon Mayock took his opponent down by pin. Mayock was a key addition to the Wrestling team his Freshman year and now will continue to dominate for the Braves in his 2nd season with them.
The Braves ended up totaling another four wins against Paterson Kennedy that night, at weight classes 157, 165, 190, and 285, with three of those four wins being from a pin. At 157 it was Sophomore JD Ferrary who gave Indian Hills six more points as he won by fall. Just like Mayock, Ferrary is carrying over into his second season the success that he had as a wrestler for the Braves during his first year. In weight class 165 junior Braddock Dimasi had the only win by the Braves that wasn’t a pin, however that doesn’t mean it was a close match at all. Dimasi handled his opponent with ease winning by decision, the final score at the end of all three periods being 9-4. Weight class 190 saw junior Charles Schwartz cruise to a win by fall, adding onto the Braves already dominating score. Schwartz is also another talented wrestler who adds onto the already astonishing junior wrestling class of Dimasi, Pellegrini, Rosamond, and Finale. Finishing off at weight class 285 where senior Ryan Morrison pinned his opponent in less than 40 seconds for the Braves second first period pin of the night. Morrison, who usually wrestles at weight class 215, had no problem taking his opponent down despite being bumped up a weight class. When asked about his time spent with the team the past four years, Ryan stated, “Wrestling for Indian Hills has been such a privilege, The men I wrestle with are some of my best friends and I consider them as brothers. We have been having a blast this season wrestling great matches and enjoying our time together.”
The match officially ended after Morrison’s win by fall as the Braves racked up nearly sixty points against the Knights, and started their season off with a winning record. However, the Braves would proceed to win their next three games in a row and start off 4-0 for the first time in many many years. Morrison continues on by saying, “Going 4-0 was no shocker to any of us really, we all knew going into the season what this group was capable of. We have some exceptional talent on our roster that are crucial to our wins. I love how much this has done for our confidence but more importantly how tight it’s brought us together. We continue to get better everyday and work towards the goal of state duels.” They currently sit at 9-3, with the most recent match being their Senior Night against Teaneck, and ending in a Braves blowout 56-24. That win, and all the other ones the Indian Hills Wrestling team has accumulated so far all contribute to their extraordinary season so far. Freshman Braves wrestler Jordan Madonna regards that, “Wrestling for Indian Hills has been truly a memorable experience for me in my freshman year. Coach Don, the new coach, has become more of a friend to the team than he is a coach while still pushing us to be better with his technical insight. Coach Andres helps condition us and pushes us past our limits to make sure we can go a full six minute match without getting tired. Coach Nick helps motivate us, and drives us to be better. He looks out for us in ways we don’t even realize like organizing joint practices and making sure everything runs smoothly on match night. I have also made many other friends on this team who have pushed me to excellence and I appreciate this team so much.” Besides the games and tournaments that the Braves have already had, there are still a handful of them left as well to play, so Indian Hills will look to continue their run of greatness for the rest of the season.
The Braves wrestling team’s home opener will be looked back on as what started it all for them this season. What ignited the spark that has led them to their 9-3 record, completely blowing teams out of the water, and winning various tournaments like the Battle at the Brook tournament where the Braves placed 1st out of 26 other schools. During the home opener, statements were made, potentials were realized, and cheers from the Braves crowd echoed all throughout the match. Each one of the Braves wins during that match, whether pin or decision, all showed the talent, determination, and fight that the Indian Hills Wrestling team has. This team is something special, and there is no doubt that they will continue to succeed and crush their opponents, whether that’s by pinning them nine times or simply outworking them which they’ve done all year.