SHS wrestling starts off season strong at Comet Classic

This past Friday and Saturday, Solon’s varsity wrestling team competed in the annual hometown Comet Classic. The Comets beat out 18 other teams en route to a seventh place finish.

Audie Atienza, coach of the varsity team, understands that despite a strong showing from his men, there is plenty of room for improvement.

“The way they wrestled was, as expected, beginning-of-the-year form,” Atienza said. “…We can improve on everything we do from getting a good night’s sleep all of the time to staying in good position when things start going wrong in a match… we have several individuals that set high goals for themselves and their teammates.  They hold each other accountable and are a close-knit group of guys.”

Sophomore Jake Canitano defended his Comet Classic title, beating out Midview’s Zak Anderson in the 106 pound weight class and winning first place. For Canitano, the victory is a familiar feeling.

“Winning tournaments always feels great, especially the Comet Classic which is one of my favorites,” Canitano said. “There was some pressure going in but I just focused on wrestling my best.”

Canitano and the rest of the squad have their work cut out for them this year. Having to compete in the GCC (Greater Cleveland Conference) with two of the top ten teams in the state (Elyria and Brunswick) makes for an arduous season ahead. But Canitano commented that the team is ready for the challenge as several wrestlers took initiative this offseason and made major improvement.

“The team has a lot of potential,” Canitano said. “A lot of guys got way better over the offseason…for the team to reach full potential we need to fill some of our missing weights and just make small changes to our wrestling.”

Atienza remarked that Canitano is someone he envisions as a leader going forward. Not only is he someone that can be trusted to win consistently, but he can also be a vocal leader to everyone on the team.

“[Canitano] has worked extremely hard from the end of last season in March all the way up to now,” Atienza said. “[He] has sought out extra ways to push himself by seeking out places to wrestle in the offseason and wrestling in plenty of spring, summer and fall tournaments. He has always led by example. However, [this year] he has taken on a more vocal role in his leadership responsibilities.”

Josh Wexler, a senior and wrestler for the varsity team, earned eighth place in the 138 pound weight class. Having wrestled every year of his high school career, Wexler is a veteran who understands what the team as a whole needs to accomplish in order to achieve continued success.

“Top to bottom, everyone needs to give 100% every time we step on the mat,” Wexler said. “If we can stay healthy and focused, we can compete with any team in our path. We have to constantly work hard and show good sportsmanship on the mat as well.”

According to Wexler, wrestling is as much a test of one’s mental strength as well as physical strength. As the team looks ahead to future competitions, Wexler gave a final piece of advice for each of his teammates.

“Winning is what makes all the hard work worth it,” Wexler said. “We have to stay mentally tough, even when it gets hard. If we can do that, I’m very confident that this will be a season to remember.”