The Paly varsity wrestling team lost, 21-29, and the Viking JV wrestlers lost, 29-31, to Wilcox on Jan. 30 at Paly after the Vikings failed to field wrestlers in several key weight classes.

Paly came out swinging, and by the time the matches were nearly half way through, the score was an impressive 19 to 6 in Paly’s favor. Because the Vikings lacked three wrestlers, they had to stay 18 points ahead of Wilcox to offset the penalty for the weight class forfeitures. Twenty-four to six (before penalties) would earn Paly a tie, and 25 would get the win. From that point on, however, things went downhill for Paly, and the match ended at 21-29 after penalties, with Wilcox in the lead.

"We definitely have to work on our game," assistant coach Tony Brewer said after the game. "Everyone needs to work on their takedowns, and we all need to be a bit heavier when we’re on top."

Ralph Rodrigues, the assistant coach for Wilcox, said, "Our team is doing well this year. We have a lot of guys who we think will qualify for CCS."

Wilcox’s head coach Dan Chaid said, "We’ll see the same guys in the league championships, so we’ll study this game and see what we can do to improve."

The missing weight slots put the Paly JV team in a 12-point hole from the start in a match where average ending scores fall in the 20s. Ever reluctant to concede a home game, the Vikes pushed themselves throughout the meet.

Before long, Paly gained a significant lead, and team optimism grew. "I think we’ll win," said junior Sam Debey, in the under-171 weight class, during the meet. "Last year [against Wilcox] we lost by just a few points, and the year before that we won by a decent amount."

There was a moment of hope at the end of the last JV match, when the scoreboard flashed 29-29. It was an error on the part of the scorekeeper, however, and the true score was 29-31, leaving the Vikings defeated.

JV needed wrestlers for the under-103 and under-275 weight classes. Until those positions are filled, the team will continue to have the same difficulty that hindered them against Wilcox.

As the season rolls toward its climax, Paly will need to train hard and find enough wrestlers for a full team. And they’ll need to do it before SCVALs, which begin on Feb. 11, in a week.