Under the spotlight of their home mat for the first time this season, the GDS wrestling team faced off against Maryland School for the Deaf (MSD) and Landon School’s varsity B team on Thursday, Jan. 17. The team’s roster, just a year ago, which was a formidable lineup of roughly 15 wrestlers, now consists of just three—senior Beck Holtzman, sophomore Dev Narang and freshman Stuart Mitchell.
Two years ago, GDS won the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAC) championship. This season, the team forfeited most matches in the tri-match, giving their opponents a considerable advantage in team scoring. Three of GDS’ wrestlers are out due to injury, three seniors from last year graduated, and the remainder of the team quit before the season started.
The match began with GDS taking on Maryland School for the Deaf. Sophomore Dev Narang opened for GDS, wrestling against MSD sophomore Tobias Lockhart in the 108-pound weight class. Narang, who joined the team this season after transferring from Landon, is still developing his technique but displayed determination on the mat. Head coach Grayson Shepperd praised Narang’s effort and growth, despite him ultimately losing by fall.
“It’s great to see Dev [Narang] applying what he’s learning,” Shepperd said. “It takes time to build confidence in matches, but he’s making progress.”
Freshman Stuart Mitchell followed Narang and brought the home crowd to life in the 140-pound weight class against MSD’s Gavin St. Amand-Perez. After a quick exchange, Mitchell appeared to be in trouble near the edge of the mat but executed a timely reversal to force a restart. Moments later, Mitchell pinned Perez, earning six points for GDS.
“He was tough to break down because he kept building up from his base,” Mitchell said. “My focus was on staying warm and being ready to use my front headlock early to pin him quickly.”
Senior Beck Holtzman, the team captain and a Wesleyan University wrestling commit, closed GDS’ matches against MSD. Wrestling MSD sophomore Jacob Salit in the 146-pound weight class, Holtzman wasted no time establishing control. He quickly earned points for takedowns and sustained pressure on his opponent. The match ended before the first period by mercy rule, as Holtzman was up 19-4 on Salit. Any advantage of over 15 points triggers a technical fall, which awards the winning team five team points.
Holtzman said he appreciated the opportunity to perform in front of a home crowd. “We don’t get to wrestle at home often, so it was great to put on a good show,” he said.
The GDS team rested while the tri-match continued with Maryland facing Landon.
GDS then squared off against Landon’s varsity B team. Narang won his match by forfeit, as Landon did not field a wrestler in the 108-pound weight class. Mitchell wrestled Dario Lofti in the 140-pound class and fought hard but lost by fall. Holtzman once again delivered for GDS, spladling his opponent for the pin and earning his second win of the day.
With only three wrestlers, GDS forfeited 17 matches across the tri-match, giving their opponents a significant scoring advantage.
“We had closer to 15 wrestlers last year, and two years ago, we filled nearly every weight class,” Holtzman said. “It’s definitely different now, but we’re making the most of it.”
Despite the difficulties, the small roster has its benefits during practice. “Practices are really productive because I get so much one-on-one attention,” Mitchell said. “It’s been great for improving my technique.”
“We have the best student-to-coach ratio in the country,” Holtzman said. The team has three full-time coaches.
Shepperd emphasized the team’s focus on individual development rather than team scoring. “With a small team, we prioritize personal goals,” he said. “Beck [Holtzman] is preparing for college wrestling, Stuart is building his technique and confidence, and Dev is learning the fundamentals. We’re focused on helping each wrestler reach their potential.”
As the tri-match concluded, GDS left the mat with a 1–1 individual record for Narang, a 1–1 record for Mitchell and a 2–0 record for Holtzman.