When you walk through the doors of Revere’s wrestling room, located in the upper gym of Revere Middle School, many things become apparent. The most obvious matter is the heat; the temperature is cranked up high, and the wrestlers need to make weight somehow. Then it is the noise level; across the room, mats are full of players competing, and the sound of their teammates cheering them on fills the balmy air. As you take a closer look at the wrestlers, though, something begins to stick out: there are no seniors in the room.
As the Revere wrestling program prepares for its upcoming season, they do so without any senior presence. Therefore, the weight of leadership falls onto the team’s juniors, a group that hopes to redefine what it means to be a wrestler and leave a legacy that ensures this situation never affects the program again.
Dan Mosher is a math teacher at Revere High School and the wrestling team’s head coach, a position he has held for fifteen years. Under Mosher’s tenure at Revere, the program has flourished; in just the last five years, the school saw its first state champion since 1990 (Zayne Lehman, 182 lbs) and achieved an 11th overall placing in the State in 2021, the programs second highest rating ever. Mosher defined Revere’s identity as a program and what it has taken to reach such heights.
“Our wrestlers train to use basic fundamental techniques that work on high-level wrestlers. They are well conditioned and keep good composure when competing,” Mosher said.
To compete at a high level, a team must push itself to be the best, particularly in wrestling. However, when Mosher arrived at Revere, the program was not at that point. Throughout his career, Mosher has worked to build a team that breeds success; he explained the impact the transformation had on the program
“The program has definitely grown in size since I took over back in 2009. When I first began, the high school team only had about twelve wrestlers total. Now we generally have anywhere from twenty to thirty wrestlers each season . . . I think the program has gained a lot of credibility and respect in our area over the last several years as an established program that develops state-caliber individuals regularly,” Mosher said.
Despite the team’s lack of seniors, Mosher does not consider the team devoid of veteran talent and leadership. Many of the group’s junior wrestlers have competed since their freshman seasons and understand what it takes to achieve at a high level. Mosher explained the impact of having more experienced wrestlers on the team.
“Each season is different based on the overall experience level of your team. The last few seasons, we’ve had to spend a lot of time on basic techniques given our younger teams. With more veteran teams, we can focus more on the minor, smaller details and higher level techniques,” Mosher said.
As Mosher enters his sixteenth, and likely most unusual, year at the helm of the wrestling program, he can look back toward previous years for guidance. With such a wealth of experience, scenarios like this year do not test the seasoned coach, allowing him to enjoy the more rewarding aspects of his job. He explained the areas that keep him coming back to coaching each season.
“The relationships that I build with many of the wrestlers is definitely the most rewarding aspect. Years after they’re done competing, it’s awesome to see them graduating college, getting married and starting their own families, and the credit they give the sport of wrestling to their successes in life,” Mosher said.
Lucca Bruno and Colin Jocek are both junior members of the wrestling team. While the responsibility may have come earlier than expected, the two will play critical roles in the team’s leadership this season. Bruno explained the situation’s impact on him and how he has adapted to it.
“The situation could be better, taking on the role hasn’t been too hard though. There’s a lot of people that are new to the sport this year, and I feel like we’re not used to slowing down. But now we’re realizing, we have to slow down and instead of focusing on ourselves, we have to leave a little bit of a legacy, and take what we’ve learned and put it onto the people that are below us,” Bruno said.
However, the ease with which Bruno stepped into a leadership role is not unique to him. Mosher’s program, combined with a lack of upper-level students throughout their careers, has created opportunities for the junior class to adapt to their elevated roles. Jocek explained the experiences that have developed him into the leader he is today.
“Freshman year definitely prepared me for new situations like this . . . I wrestled JV most of the year, but when a senior went down, I wrestled for [him] in sectionals, which was a lot of pressure, but I did really well for what I thought and it definitely helped me for the rest of my career, just learning to have more confidence in myself and my ability,” Jocek said.
Despite their unique situation, the overall goal for both Bruno and Jocek has not changed for the season. Both hope to compete in the state tournament at the end of the season. Through their dedication to the program, that dream looks attainable to them. Jocek explained his goal while explaining his passion for the sport.
“Getting your hand raised is the best part of the sport, and to do that at state would be a dream come true. Even without that, just the rush of competing is worth it. It may not look like it but when you’re actually out there, it’s a lot of fun. It’s just kind of an adrenaline rush that I love,” Jocek said.
While the junior class may face struggles this year, the impact of a group having two years to influence those beneath them will leave a lasting impression on the program. The group looks to strengthen the program and ensure that no future classes have to compete without seniors ahead of them, leaving a stronger program behind. Bruno explained the legacy the group hopes to build.
“In the past, leadership was kind of negative. Everything that comes with wrestling is a lot of pressure to take on, and I think in contradiction to what’s been happening in the past, we’ve just got to walk out with a smile. . . . We want to leave practice with a positive mindset, a chip on your shoulder, because you’re going there six days a week. People should be proud to wrestle, and that’s the legacy we are trying to leave,” Bruno said.
Heading into the 2023 season the wrestling team will face challenges, but through the leadership of juniors like Jocek and Bruno, combined with the veteran coaching of Mosher, success looks to be on the horizon.
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