The wrestling team secured an upset in their first match of the season with a dominating showing against the Paint Branch Panthers. Despite graduating a significant portion of their starting lineup, the Vikes overcame their 4th ranked opponent 48-24.
Whitman started with an early 6 points when 113lb Chris Habibian scored a forfeit. However, Paint Branch quickly tied the score with a fall against first year wrestler Devin Carrone, who was narrowly pinned midway through the second period of his match.
The Vikes bounced back quickly, with 126lb Andrew Shiman dominating his opponent in the second period scoring a fall from the top to regain the lead 12-6. The Vikings held the lead for the rest of the match with excellent middle and heavyweight play, highlighted by 145lb Kevin Cullinane and 152lb Mitch Fenton who both scored early falls.
182lb Matt McClanahan and 160lb Evan Smith also both had dominating victories, controlling the pace of their matches throughout the duration.
Whitman was then forced to forfeit their final match due to an injury to 106lb Clark Boinis.
195lb Jonah Brain said the intense preparation for the season was key to this upset.
“The hard work we put in the room and the motivation from out coaches made us prepared for any situation we could face on the mat,” he said.
Head coach Derek Manon said that this win puts Whitman back on the map even after losing a majority of their starting lineup.
“A lot of people around the county and region didn’t expect a lot out of us,” he said. “We will take being the underdog for one game. I think that’s out the window now.”