On Jan. 25, the Staples wrestling team traveled to Stamford High School

to take on Stamford and New Canaan.  Staples lost to both teams, 55-18 to New Canaan and 60-15 to Stamford.

However, what these results don’t show is that in each respective match, Staples forfeited nine matches, eight of them due to injuries.

For a talented Staples squad, the 2011-2012 season has been a frustrating one full of doctor’s notes, surgeries, and an undeserved 6-14 record as of Jan. 25.

Discounting forfeits in the New Canaan match, Staples would’ve beaten New Canaan 12-8.

“On the mat, we have definitely performed as well as we had hoped,” said Jeremy Sherman ’13.  “We just weren’t able to anticipate all of these injuries, and it has put us in a hole as a team.”

Of the three Staples captains, two of them are currently sidelined.  Brad Menchaca ’12 is out for the season with a broken arm, while Mike O’Day ’12 is currently sitting out with a torn ligament in his ankle.

According to Menchaca, who was staring down his potential 100th career win this season, being injured has been a frustrating thing to deal with.

“There was so much that we as a team wanted to attain this year,” he said. “Given all of the time and effort that my teammates and I spent preparing for this season, it’s really difficult to sit on the sidelines and watch.”

The team certainly has put in the hours.

Juniors Jeremy Sherman and Alex Brown both attended the grueling J. Robinson summer training camp last year, Sherman for 28 days in Minn. and Brown for 14 in Pa.  Mikell Washington ’12 trained with 6-time Olympic Champion  John Smith in Oklahoma.

“We work a lot harder than people realize,” said Sherman.

Despite all of the injuries they’ve endured, the team has had its fair share of triumphs, most notably an undefeated record of 24-0 for Mikell Washington as of Jan. 25.

“[Being undefeated] has made me work even harder,” explained Washington.  “There is pressure every game to continue the streak I have going.”

Stephan Patterson ’12 is another wrestler who has enjoyed a winning record, as well as some notable personal accomplishments.

“When we wrestled Wilton two years ago, I broke my ankle in a tough loss,” said Patterson.  “This time around, I won my match against them 16-0,” he said with a smile.

Staples wrestling also has reasons to be optimistic about the future.

Sherman, Alex Brown ’13, and Alex Kogstad ’13 are all sure to be forces on the mat next year, and the team welcomed two enthusiastic freshmen this season in Justin Ludel (113 pound weight class) and Charles Lomanto (126 pound).

But according to Sherman, the team isn’t finished yet.

“The real judge of our season will be the tournaments at the end,” he said.

With two Class LL finalists last year in Chris Guinta ’11 and Julian Gendels ’11, Staples is looking to once again make a run at both LL and the FCIAC tournaments.

And if time does in fact heal all wounds, this talented, hardworking Staples squad will be one to watch for come early March.