This year’s AMHS Wrestling team is setting school records. This is the biggest the team has ever been with 33 members on the roster which includes middle schoolers for the first time! The Wrestling team is currently 8-4 with wins over Battery Creek, Timberland, North Charleston and others.

8th Grade

This is Magnet’s first year with 8th graders on the team. The three include SOA’s Matthew Gould, Pierce Selvitelli, and Luke Whitley. This was huge for the program as it continues to grow bigger.

Freshmen

Representing the Raptors, the only representative in the 113 class, is Cayden Sullivan. Edgar Batiz is one of the reserves for the 120 wrestlers. Yidong Ye is also a reserve, representing the 126’s. 132 has two freshman reserves in Alex Locklair and Fletcher Seminatoti. The 138 class also has 2 freshmen, being Peter Markov and Cannon Gibbs In 144 there is Dean Barnwell. In 150 there is Reese Szymkowicz. Andrew Wohlfield is in the 157, and rounding out the freshman we have 175 John Walker Moore.

Sophomores

The Sophomores make up the smallest population with only 4 Wrestlers on the roster. The only 106, which is the smallest weight class in wrestling, is Lincoln Bouchard. Andrew Blind is a 138. Zavier Nutting is in the 120 class and finally, Amil Perez is a 138.

Juniors

Nick Severance is the first junior and he is in the 120 class. John Napolitano is the 132, while his twin Luke is a 138. Returner Daniel Kagan is in the 150s, while three-year wrestler (and future captain) Cy “Crusty” Benich is in the 165.  Daniel Harris is a 190 while the “handsome beast” Max Peters is a 215.

Seniors

The biggest class at AMHS is by far the seniors making up a huge part of the program that is Academic Magnet High

School Wrestling. The lightest senior on the team is a 3-year returner, now captain, Troy Rauchet, representing us as a 126. Jumping multiple weight classes, we have a 3-year senior Lawton Harper. When asked about his thoughts on the upcoming season, Lawton told me his favorite part of practice, which was sparing with Chase Dillon. In the class above, a 4 year senior and now captain, Gannon Rose is joined by second-year returner Chase Novak. I interviewed both Gannon and Chase about the upcoming season and what their opinions were on the stereotypes of wrestling and their thoughts were fascinating. Gannon, similarly to Lawton, when asked what his favorite part of wrestling was said this,

“I love wrestling with Chase Dillon in practice.”

Chase Novak fittingly told me,

“It does live up to the stereotype.”

when I asked him how he liked wrestling in the gym.

Next, we have, what I would assume to be the team-favorite based off of what Lawton and Gannon had to say, Chase Dillon. Chase is a captain and a 4-year wrestler. Chase seemed rather secretive about how he felt after reading his teammate’s thoughts and had no comment. 2nd-years Harrison Shaw is a 165 and Tucker Engelke is a 175. 3rd-year Armando Reyes is 190, and rounding out the team is the 1st-year heavyweight Eric Bell.

Being a former wrestler, the brotherhood that comes with wrestling is worth all the hard work, dedication, uncomfortable positions, and pain that comes from injuries. The way-too-early and late night bus rides with the team are the best bonding moments in sports so I highly encourage anyone looking to play a sport to look at wrestling. It is the easiest sport to have a chance at states, and is overall just such a fun sport.