Fun, Free, and Full of Grit When We Need It
I spend a lot of time as a coach trying to figure out how to get our wrestlers to have great performances. A big part of that is helping them recognize that this sport, while incredibly tough and demanding, is fun. My coach always told us, “Wrestling is inherently fun. If you put two kids in a room, chances are they will start wrestling and love it.”
He liked to humorously add, “You want to know how to screw it up and make it not fun? Add a coach.”
Well, I don’t want to be that coach. I do what I can to remind our athletes that wrestling is fun and to keep things light, especially around competitions. I don’t think the whole “go out and try to rip your opponent’s head off” attitude is very useful for most wrestlers. Although I have had a few athletes who have done well with that approach. Ahh, the joys of coaching. If only one approach worked for everyone.
In addition to having fun, I try to get them to wrestle free. That is a little tough to define, but it means focusing on the performance, not expectations or outcome. Not mapping out exactly how you want the match to go. Just stepping your foot on the line ready to perform and adjusting to wherever the match takes you.
Wrestling free also means letting the unconscious wrestler take over. At this level, these guys have done this sport for so long and at such a high level that they are making reads they do not even consciously recognize. Every level change, tie, and motion is a data point. The freer you are, the more effective that unconscious wrestler becomes. And the more effective that unconscious wrestler is, the better you perform.
When you are wrestling fun and free and scoring points, life is good. But when things get tight, when momentum swings, when the crowd quiets for a second, that is when grit shows up.
Pitt came to Maples as one of the grittier teams in Division I wrestling. Pennsylvania wrestlers pride themselves on that edge. The Pitt online roster is riddled with wrestlers from PA. With eight starters entering Maples with PA roots, we knew they would make matches tight and try to win them in the small spaces.
I thought we wrestled fun and free. And when it got tight, we had the grit we needed and earned the 21-12 victory over the #12 ranked team in the country.
At 125, Nico Provo set the tone. Overtime against a tough opponent is not for the faint of heart. Nico stayed composed, stayed free, and found his way to the finish in sudden victory. That was a tone setter. Close match. Big moment. We did not blink.
Tyler Knox followed with a workmanlike 4-0 win over a ranked opponent. That was controlled aggression. Escape, clean takedown, no drama. Tyler continues to mature in how he manages matches. He does not need chaos to win. He just needs opportunity.
Jack Consiglio’s match at 141 was grit personified. Down 2-0, starting the third period on bottom, he got the reversal, rode, and closed it out with riding time. That is not flashy. That is tough. Jack wasn’t 100% for the match, but showed up for the team and got the job done. That is the competitive leadership we need in the thick of the season.
At 149, Aden Valencia showed real growth. He built a lead, gave up a takedown, and could have unraveled. Instead, he escaped, settled back in, and finished. Learning how to win tight matches against ranked opponents is a skill. Aden gets better every week.
Daniel Cardenas at 157 continues to be the “same guy” every match.. Action. Pressure. Points. He jumped out early, but his opponent answered back, and then had to manage the storm late. He keeps scoring. He keeps wrestling. He keeps putting himself in positions to separate. Seventy career wins and still evolving. Hat’s off to his opponent, as most of the wrestlers he has faced have withered to his pace. Evans hung in there and gave Daniel a valuable test as we approach the post-season.
EJ Parco at 165 quietly put together one of the more impressive performances of the day. Unranked against a ranked opponent, and he wrestled like the higher seed. Smart decisions. Clean finishes. When he secured that third period takedown, it gave us an 18-0 team lead and real momentum in the building.
174 and 184 did not go our way. Collin and Abe both battled. Abe’s match in particular was a reminder of how thin the margin is at this level. One or two exchanges swing everything. Those matches will serve us in March if we let them.
Then at 197, Angelo Posada delivered the signature win of the day. A true freshman against a top 10, returning All American. He did not look like a freshman. He scored a beautiful takedown, rode tough, escaped clean in the second, and beat a man who has been on the podium. That was free wrestling. That was belief. And it is only the beginning for him.
At heavyweight, Luke Duthie stepped into a tough situation against a ranked opponent. He competed hard. We did not get the result we wanted, but he did not back down from the moment. That matters.
Seven wins. All by decision. No panic. No chasing bonus when it was not there. Just steady, gritty wrestling when matches tightened up.
We close the dual season on Friday at North Carolina. The work continues. The margins get smaller. The pressure gets higher.
But if we can keep it fun. If we can keep it free. And if we can summon grit when the moment demands it, we give ourselves a chance against anyone…absolutely anyone.
That is all I can ask of this group. Step on the line. Wrestle free. Compete with joy. And when it gets tight, find a way.
Box at the end of the newsletter
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996 and counting.
The Pitt dual closed out our home dual slate for the 2025-2026 season. This was the first year that wrestling was ticketed and we averaged 996 fans across five duals. Although numbers were not tracked in previous years, I would say we at least doubled the average attendance from last year.
To those that came out, thank you. Your support means more than you know. To the four (on average) who didn’t show up to get us to 1,000, you will never be forgiven…you’ll have to make up for it next year.
Next year we will be looking to double the numbers and as a little teaser it is looking like Oklahoma State should be our first home dual in November. We will fill Maples before long!
