It’s time— Raider Wrestling is back as fall sports have concluded and winter sports begin training. After posting an impressive 18-5 record during the 2021-2022 campaign, head varsity coach Marc Fabiano and his team look to continue their success with a recharged and youthful roster. 

Fabiano has some high hopes for this upcoming season, but he believes it all must be done through discipline and positive thinking. 

“Going into the season, we always set our expectations high, one of my big focuses is getting better as a person and getting better as a wrestler, each and every day,” Fabiano said. “One move at a time, one drill at a time. That’s definitely a good mindset.” 

 Such focuses are vital to the success of this year’s team due to losing 10 out of the 14 starters from last year. The youth of this group of Raider wrestlers brings energy, dedication and heart to the mat but their mindset impacts their performance the most. 

Coach Fabiano sees lot of potential in certain players, especially underclassmen, who have demonstrated their dedication and perseverance. 

“The names that come to mind [for potentially successful underclassmen] are sophomores Tristan Sirimans and Ryan Ricci, who both had a lot of success last year,” Fabiano said. “And I think they’re definitely going to come out strong because they’ve been working in the offseason.”  

With such high expectations for such a youthful team coming off of a team led by experienced seniors, there are big shoes to fill and challenges will arise along the way as the Raiders look to replicate last season’s success. 

 Sophomore wrestler John Boyle understands that it’s going to take some effort to get the same results (or even better results) as last season, esepcially with a younger team.

“I think we’re going to do well,” Boyle said.“It’s going to be hard to replicate last year’s record. We beat Woodbridge for a great win in the playoffs, but we weren’t able to get any farther after that and we have to work hard to get back to that spot.” 

Expect to see lots of energy and heart from the group of new and old faces during this wrestling season. It’s certainly an exciting time of the year as the seasons change and sports shift to being indoors—which means there’s no excuse not to support Raider wrestling in one way or another. 

Good luck to the Raider Wrestling team, Coach Fabiano and the rest of the team’s coaching staff during their season!