On Wednesday night, February 7th, the Needham Rockets Wrestling team hosted their final home meet of the season vs. Wellesley High School. It was also Senior Night, which is dedicated to celebrating all the senior wrestlers who have put so much time and effort into the sport they love. The stands were packed with an eager crowd of family and friends cheering on the Rockets. Needham won the majority of the matches, with a final team score of 54 to 30.
At 113lbs, Junior Ben Soulia took off at the whistle and scored numerous takedowns with a pin shortly after. Nathan Taub claimed a victory at 120 due to a forfeit from Wellesley. Ryan Conti had a tough loss at 126, but the Rockets came back in the next match. At 132, Robert Bobocea faced a tough opponent which resulted in a grueling back and forth match. Ultimately, Robert scored a swift takedown in overtime to score for the Rockets. Max Sherer, at 138, went out and carried the momentum, pinning his opponent quickly.
Next up, Senior Captain Jake Furman, at 144, faced an experienced opponent, however, Jake controlled and dominated the match and pinned him after numerous takedowns and throws. At 150, John Marino quickly threw and pinned his opponent effortlessly. Junior Captain Alex Rutley, at 157, powered his way through with his strength and technique to pin and score another six points for the Rockets team score.
At 165, first year senior wrestler, Jonathan Gregg, battled his way from JV to Varsity, to ultimately defeat his experienced opponent in the second period with ease. Daniel Burdin, at 175, overpowered his opponent into a pin in the first period to score another six points for the team. At 195, the Wellesley Raiders collected a victory after Needham had to forfeit due to injuries. Dean Mostafa at 215 and Deyah AlAjarma at 285lbs both experienced a hard loss, however, it was not nearly enough for the Raiders to come back.
Overall, it was a long awaited and exciting victory for the Needham Rockets as a great way to wrap up this season and take off into the next year. Congratulations and best wishes to senior wrestlers Deyah AlAjarma, Jake Furman, Jonathan Gregg, and Shohum Sarkar and senior team managers Evan Thompson and Huthaifa AlWattar who are graduating in June!
