Despite facing a deficit on Friday night after a few early defeats, boys wrestling mounted a comeback late.

Ultimately, the push to close the gap fell short, as the Kits lost, 30-36, in their final home meet of the year.

The first three matches saw ETHS at a 0-18 point deficit, which diminished to 30-33 before a final loss. After giving up three takedowns to begin the meet, the team achieved four pins, and several standouts gave strong performances.

“That four series of pins got our momentum back into it and put us back on course,” says head coach Rudy Salinas. 

Junior Marco Terrizzi (126) put the Kits on the scoreboard with a second-period pin. Sean-Jay Pena-Kerr (160) followed with a pin while up 4-2. In a fast-paced and aggressive match, Charlie Bolich (182) achieved pin three and Thomas Jackson’s (195) efficient first-round takedown rounded out the night.

Fulfilling expectations as a formidable opponent, senior Darrion Coleman (170) failed to secure a pin but won with points like teammate Jason McDermott (132).

“There were things that could have gone either way,” says Salinas. “Eren Atac had a close match that could have gone his way. Declan Glascott (145) had a few opportunities to make [his opponent Jacob Noe] fall short. Those were toss-ups. If we got one of those, we might tie or win.”

Though a disappointing result for senior night, the Kits now head to IHSA Regionals, from which they plan to send seven or more athletes to Sectionals.

“The match, it was our last home meet,” says Salinas. “It was our last opportunity to work on technical things, little things, and I thought we made some improvements. But we fell short [of a win] because there’s still improvements to be made.”