Three wrestlers won their duals despite a team loss to Bishop Amat. The team forfeited multiple matches due to a lack of members in certain weight groups, but the participating wrestlers put up a strong showing for the Wolverines.

Calvin Kaleel ’18 at 132, John Cahill ’20 at 138 and Riley Ruiz ’20 at 126 all won their duals. Both Kaleel and Cahill said that the team result, win or loss, often doesn’t reflect the success of individual wrestlers or the competitiveness of the duals.

Cahill said that strong practices contributed to the team’s success today.

“I feel like I was successful in this dual because of how hard the team has pushed each other over the last month and because of our great coaching staff,” Cahill said. “Our team really focuses on our conditioning and continually pushing the pace of a match, which results in many individual wins.”

Kaleel, the team’s captain, said he noticed that the camaraderie on the team had a strong positive impact on their performance.

“I’m really proud to be a part of this team, and every single one of us supports and motivates each other,” Kaleel said. “Our coaches are incredible, and know how to inspire us to be as good as we can.”

Although Cahill began wrestling last year, he said he has learned much about the sport already.

“Being a sophomore wrestler definitely gives me more confidence in the wrestling season as I’ve had more experience wrestling and I just feel more comfortable during matches,” Cahill said. “Wins and losses only serve as lessons to us on how we can be better wrestlers and beat the people we may have lost to in the past.”

Kaleel, who said he has wrestled with the school for the past six years said that wrestling still offers him lots of benefits.

“I’ve been honored to be coached by great coaches and to have had awesome teammates,” Kaleel said. “I’ve come to learn that this sport teaches you how to never quit and keep fighting,” Kaleel said.

Even though the team is yet to win a match together, the individual wins give great promise for a successful rest of the season.

“We take each dual and tournament one match at a time, and regardless of the outcome we always work to keep on improving,” Kaleel said.

The team will wrestle against Crespi on Wednesday for senior night.