Spartans Showing Flashes in a Hard Fought Season Opener

“How strong? Stuy strong!” the Spartans shouted before starting their season on December 5 against Edward R. Murrow High School. The team fell 42-47 in the season opener, but there were many positive takeaways. “I saw some good wrestling from these beginners. This is an early tourney in the season, so obviously, I saw some mistakes as well. Me and the other captain, [senior] Adam Abbas, helped these guys grow as wrestlers, so it was real nice to see them perform well,” senior and co-captain Allard Peng said. Though senior Danil Chernov and junior Rubin Peci both joined this season, both came away with victories in the match. They will play big roles this season as the team tries to rise up in its Region 5 division.

Despite the many positives, Peng was disappointed with his own performance, saying, “I ended up taking third out of a bracket of six people. I feel like I didn't wrestle smart, and I didn't uphold my role as a role model.” These high standards will ideally translate into improvement as the season continues, as Peng’s drive for success will hopefully carry over to the team. Overall, this first match was a great starting point for the Spartans.

The team wants to bounce back from their 2-5 record from last year. They want to improve in hopes of getting to the playoffs. This will be tough without Cade Lueker (‘17), who finished second at the City Championships last year in the 170-pound weight class. In order to minimize the effect of his loss, Peng and Abbas are taking initiatives to train the younger people on the team. Specifically, “[We have] to stay focused and stick to the basics. In wrestling, what wins a match are the simple and practiced moves,” Abbas said. Repeating the same sets of moves over and over will drill them into the team, which will hopefully translate into in-game success.

Pushing each other both at practices and competitions can create the drive that can lead this team to where they want to be. A long-term goal, Peng said, “[is] to see Stuyvesant High School produce a State Champion.” It remains to be seen whether this season will produce one, but, one match in, the Spartans have their work cut out for them.