The wrestling program continues to live in the shadow of the more popular and relatively more glamorous sport of basketball during the winter. The wrestlers accept that, and so does their coach, yet the program continues to attract a small squad of dedicated athletes who adopt that ‘Band of Brothers’ mentality and dare greatly every time they take to the mat.

     The team’s new coach is a hard working and dedicated leader, and also a Hamden Hall alum. Kiernan Griffin graduated in 2000 and was a three sport standout for the Green and White. As a wrestler in the 135-145 lb. range, Kiernan was Fairchester All League, placed in the States all four years, including as a finalist in his senior year. He was also a three time New England medalist. Kiernan went on to wrestle and play lacrosse at Trinity College. Though much has changed on the campus, Coach Griffin noted that the fire and grit of the individual wrestlers in the program continue to quash any feelings of inferiority just because the squad is not large enough to win team meets. “There are plenty of challenges to running any sports program. But wrestling is special. You have to be all in; it’s all about commitment. Plus, you can’t hide out there on the mat. And most guys have no previous wrestling experience, so they have to learn to deal with a lot of defeats, especially early on. But win or lose, it’s really the journey that matters most and that will provide you with the confidence needed to perform life’s tasks down the road. The reward is achieving what you never thought you could do.”

     “The present squad is a truly dedicated bunch of guys who have had to overcome adversity, including a turnstile of coaches, plus losing a year of competing due to covid. Though we will miss our current seniors, I believe we have a great core to keep the program moving in the right direction. We have had a long tradition of outstanding individual wrestlers. Recent alum Connor Massey is currently wrestling at Sacred Heart, as is Wynn Veiga at University of Chicago. We were very successful against some of the top prep competition around at the recent Brunswick Invitational. Lambert Yan has been an outstanding rookie at 120 lbs. Andrew Kortmansky is solid at 126. Roman Minotti just earned All Fairchester Honorable Mention at 132, and Jack Fuoco has been a force at 138. We have the State Meet coming up this weekend and then on to New Englands the following week up at Deerfield. We are hoping to get our top heavyweight, Ian Rose, healthy enough to compete, though freshman Tyler Sullivan is also performing well in that slot.”

     “Moving forward, I am hoping to give the program more exposure, including reaching out to the Lower School. I would also like to see more females take a chance. Wrestling is one of the fastest growing NCAA sports for women. It’s been great to return to Hamden Hall, and I am proud to be in this position with these special guys.” 

     One of those guys, senior captain Jack Fuoco, echoed much of Coach Griffin’s sentiments. “Wrestling is a tough choice to make. I think kids get scared by the commitment. And it’s easier to have the comfort of teammates all around you when you are out on the field in a big squad. At first there is so much pressure going on the mat, and the fear of losing in front of everyone, and that can eat at you. But with experience, you get to where you can push through; you don’t let it get to you, and you can look back at what you did with pride.” 

     Jack has been wrestling since 7th grade, and finished 4th in the state his freshman year and 5th as a sophomore. After the covid enforced hiatus, Jack is hoping to earn a top three medal at New Englands. Known for his favorite ‘Cradle’ move, Jack is quick and strong for his weight class, coincidentally the same weight as his coach back in the day. 

     But wrestling is actually a Fuoco Family tradition. Jack’s twin brother, Max, is also on the squad and he commented, “We first started wrestling in middle school when our older brother, Ethan, began wrestling as a freshman at HH. Wrestling and playing the same sport with my twin has always been a great experience. We have had a lot of good times getting hard work done in the padded room during practice and then being able to coach each other from the side of the mat. Our toughest drill is called ‘King of the Hill’ where you have to wrestle each guy on the team in succession and try to outlast the entire roster. But when you add that extra incentive - who doesn’t like the excuse to try and rough up your brother? Practice can get chippy at some points as we like to push our competitive edge on each other, but it’s usually resolved with a toss on the mat and a laugh. It has been a life changing experience, and regardless of our own individual success we have always supported each other all the way.” And the team would certainly not feel as good as they do after a match if it weren’t for their mom, Jennifer, who provides all the food and drinks on all those long road trips. 

     More than a half century after Roosevelt, President John F. Kennedy offered similar sentiments when he said, “We choose to…do things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills.” JFK might have been referring to reaching the moon, but it’s that same sort of journey that Coach Griffin, the Fuoco brothers, and the rest of the wrestling program take each day.