Entering the week, the Niles West wrestling team had won just one of its 19 dual meets.
The Wolves went 0-3 at the Waubonsie Valley Quad on Saturday, Jan. 2, losing 69-3 to St. Charles East, 52-19 to Waubonsie Valley and 69-6 to Notre Dame.
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Several of Niles West’s duals have had similar scores because of forfeits.
The Wolves forfeit about 4-6 matches in a typical dual, coach Anthony Genovesi said. They forfeited nine matches in their duals against St. Charles East and Notre Dame because multiple wrestlers were out with a skin condition, according to senior 132-pounder Scott Pechter. Junior 138-pounder Neil O’Shaughnessy didn’t wrestle against St. Charles East or Notre Dame due to an ankle injury.
Given the number of forfeits — and the fact they’re worth six points apiece, the same number as a pin — Niles West wrestlers begin the majority of their dual meets knowing the Wolves won’t win.
“We’ve had holes,” said Genovesi, whose team’s lone victory was a 26-16 win against Waukegan on Friday, Dec. 4. “You can’t expect to win when you’re forfeiting as many weights as we are.”
Three seasons ago, Pechter was a freshman on a Niles West team that won a share of the Central Suburban South title.
The Wolves’ numbers have dropped in the ensuing years, as seniors have graduated. This season, Pechter and his teammates have had to learn to ignore the team standings during dual meets.
“It was pretty bad in the beginning of the season, getting used to it, but you’ve just got to keep everybody motivated and work with the people that you have,” Pechter said.
“We do see [wrestling] as a team still, but we don’t really care about the team score. We look at everybody, individually, and we just want to see improvement. That’s really all you can do when you’re giving up I don’t even know how many forfeits.”
Genovesi echoed that sentiment.
“Each kid’s just got to battle,” he said, “and wrestle their own match.”
Pechter added that he, as a senior, has tried to maintain a positive attitude and make sure his teammates don’t get down about losing as a team. The Wolves’ best wrestler looks at his matches through a long-term lens, he explained, so the focus is on constantly improving and getting ready for the postseason.
Genovesi also has tried to see the positive when reflecting on duals against Niles North and Glenbrook South.
The Wolves lost 36-31 to Niles North on Tuesday, Dec. 29. Genovesi pulled up a couple of wrestlers from the lower levels to ensure the Vikings didn’t get as many free points in the biggest dual meet of both teams’ regular seasons.
“We did really well in [the] matchups,” Genovesi said. “But we lost because we forfeited three weights.”
Forfeits helped Glenbrook South beat Niles West 46-27 on Friday, Dec. 11, even though the Wolves won six out of eight contested matches that night, according to Genovesi.
In total, Niles West has about 30 wrestlers in its program, Genovesi estimated, which is down from about 45 to start the year. He said some of the attrition can be attributed to wrestlers who lacked the necessary commitment. Genovesi said he has elected to keep some wrestlers at the lower levels, because they don’t yet have the mentality needed to wrestle on varsity.
Eric Van Dril is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter: @VanDrilSports