By Isabella Hassan '25
Last Saturday, the GFA Prep Wrestling team traveled south to Greenwich Country Day School for the annual FAA Championship, where the Dragons were in pursuit of a five-peat.
The Dragons won that fifth title without losing a single match all day.
In the first duel of the day, the Dragons took on the Rye Country Day School Wildcats. In a dominant performance, GFA secured a perfect 84-0 victory, with every wrestler winning by either forfeit or fall. Wrestlers who secured pins included Jack Francis, Harry Kittredge, Rocky Penny, and Cael Wilderman, while all other wins came by forfeit.
Next, the Dragons moved to the GCDS old gym to take on the host team, the GCDS Tigers. GFA maintained its momentum, once again winning every match by fall or forfeit. Wrestlers earning falls were Chase Kastner, Jackson Heslin, Joseph Mahoney, Ben Zuckerman, Jeremy McGrath, Will Motley, Tyler Neiva, and Logan Cofsky. Mahoney recorded the fastest pin of this dual, taking down his opponent in just 17 seconds. The only exhibition match featured Blake Watkins, who secured a pin 28 seconds into the first period. Final score: 84-0, GFA.
After a short break, the Dragons took on the Hamden Hall Hornets. In similar fashion, GFA wrestlers either won by fall or received six team points from forfeits. Kittredge, Mahoney, Zuckerman, and McGrath all won by fall, with McGrath securing the fastest pin of the day in just seven seconds. The Dragons continued their dominant streak, winning 84-0 once again.
The toughest challenge of the day came against the Brunswick Bruins, GFA’s fourth opponent. Unlike the previous matches, Brunswick brought a full lineup, including two exhibitions, meaning no forfeits. Despite this, the Dragons earned 11 victories by fall, while Brady Kaupp won by technical fall (20-4), McGrath secured a major decision, and Cael Wilderman battled to a hard-fought 4-2 decision at 165 pounds. After using blood time in the third period, Wilderman returned with intensity to close out his match and secured the final team points match. Exhibition matches concluded, with Jacob Jones earning a pin in 37 seconds. Final score: 78-0, GFA.
In the final dual, GFA faced the Hopkins Hilltoppers, looking for their fifth and final victory of the tournament. Almost all matches resulted in a pin or forfeit; Eli Shea, Mahoney, McGrath, Motley, Wilderman, Neiva, and Dominic Iaquinto all recorded pins. Shea wrestled twice, securing a pin in 44 seconds for team points and later earning a fall in his exhibition match in just 22 seconds. The match of the dual, however, belonged to Kayla Batres, who competed at 113 pounds against Eric Fusscas. Tied with 30 seconds remaining, Batres escaped from a takedown and secured an 8-7 decision victory. Final score: 81-0, GFA.
With an undefeated record on the day, the GFA Dragons successfully completed the five-peat, taking home the championship trophy.
The team also brought home 14 individual titles, marking the most dominant performance in the history of the GFA program.