Danielle Sorcher
Features Editor
Saturday, February 12 brought on the FCIAC wrestling finals, beginning at 4 PM in the gyms. Only one NCHS wrestler, senior and co-captain Brian Khzouz, made it to the finals, wrestling against senior Bryan Polonia of Stamford in the 145 weight class.
Last year Brian made it to the FCIAC finals and lost in triple overtime, but placed second. His sophomore year he placed third. Although hoping to win this year, Brian lost to the Stamford wrestler 4-8; however, he placed second in the FCIAC tournament.
Although Brian played Polonia earlier in the year and beat him 5-3, he felt a little off of his game during the finals. “I might not have been as focused on winning as much as I should have been,” he said. “But [today]he wrestled a better match than me—he deserved the win.”
Even with the defeat today, Brian stayed positive. “I’ve had 27 wins; I’m at 27 and one, I believe,” he said. “I’m pretty content with [the season]for my senior year.”
Co-captain Joveto De Carvalho mentioned that Brian also got his 100th career win, which is a big milestone for a lot of wrestlers.
Coach Paul Gallo commented on Brian’s defeat. “He’s had a great season, and it wasn’t his best match,” he said. “The other kid is good, although [Brian] beat him earlier in the year. It was a tough match, and a tough loss.”
Teammate junior Dylan Kavookjian spoke highly of Brian. “I wrestled with him everyday [at practice],” he said. “Training with Brian means spending the entire season getting beat up every day. But it’s rewarding in the end because he raises your game to a higher level so when you go against other guys out on the mat, it’s much easier than you’re used to.”
The wrestling season itself has been a little tough, according to Coach Gallo. But he thinks next year will be better. “We’ll be okay [for next year]; we have a strong core of [in-coming] seniors next year in the upper weights, which will be one of our strengths,” he said. “But we have States next week. We’re just going to get ready for that.”
Brian is wrestling in States and feels relatively prepared. “I’m going to work hard this week,” he said. “Hopefully some individuals will do well this year [at States]—I know I’m going to try to.”
Brian offered some advice for his teammates. “Keep working hard,” he said. “The only motivation you can truly rely on is yourself. Keep pushing.”
Photos by Danielle Sorcher
