Eric
French never met a wrestling match that he didn’t like.
The same could be said for the vast majority of his teammates at North
Catholic.
Last week in front of a packed house inside North’s famed “Pit,”
French and company celebrated the school’s 13th Catholic League
championship — its sixth in eight years, and fifth in six years
— by defeating LaSalle, 29-20.
The Falcons’ 17-0 record brought the team its first undefeated
season since 1994.
The teams faced each other in the final for the fourth straight season;
LaSalle was the opponent that stunned the Falcons in last year’s
final. And while revenge was a motivational aspect of the Falcons’
success, it wasn’t a primary component.
“I’m not going to lie,” said French. “Losing
last year was the worst experience I’ve ever had. It was awful.
It tasted horrible.
“But while we wanted to avoid that again, it was more about what
we could do to win more than anything else,” he said. “We
knew we had what it took to get the job done. It was a matter of going
out there and doing it.”
French, a heavyweight, joined senior teammate Chris James (215 pounds)
as one of only three wrestlers in the esteemed program’s history
to capture three first-team All-Catholic honors. The other was 1998
grad Elvin DeJesus.
French acknowledged that honor as “very special” and cited
his coaches for their role in his personal success, but for him that
paled in comparison to capturing three league titles in his four years.
“That’s really what it’s about,” said French.
“We work so hard for this. You can’t really imagine how
hard we work, what we do to make this happen.”
French said preparation during the off-season is a key factor to North’s
consistent success.
“We all have to keep ourselves in great shape,” said French.
“Weight training, keeping ourselves fit by running … it’s
all a part of what goes into our success.”
North coach Jim Savage, who downplayed his own role in North’s
six titles in his eight seasons, lauded his wrestlers for their overall
commitment.
“It’s like 11 months of the year we’re talking about,”
he said. “Camps, exercise, keeping focused. They believe in the
program.”
A member of North’s first two championship teams, in 1991 and
1992, Savage was asked why North has continued to dominate the sport
despite being among the smaller-enrollment schools in the Catholic League.
“Coaches, parents, the school, the kids,” he said. “They’re
all in this together. They believe in what we are trying to do.”
North’s victory over LaSalle was mathematically clinched when
Kevin Mallon edged his opponent at 152 pounds. North had a 12-point
lead with only one match remaining.
Perhaps North’s key victory was at 103 pounds, where sophomore
Dave Davidson defeated an opponent that he had lost to during the regular
season.
“That was definitely the most important win,” said French.
“He really picked us up, especially me. I was supposed to pin
my guy, but I didn’t.”
Have to love that honesty.
John Knebels may be reached at jknebs@aol.com.