Last year, the Greeley Varsity Wrestling Team had an incredible run, winning the Section 1 League Championship title. This year, as the winter sports season started up again, Greeley Varsity Wrestling was back.
The Greeley Wrestlers started their winter season strong—they won their first match, with a score of 33-31 against Arlington. This prestige continued: on December 18th of 2022, Greeley’s own senior wrestler Vinny Sasso topped the list of Section 1’s Division-I Wrestling Ranking for the 215 pound weight class. This recognition would not have been possible without Sasso’s work and the support of Greeley’s wrestling coaches. The Greeley Wrestling Team, led by Head Coaches Mike DeBellis and Anthony Tortora, and Assistant Coach Anthony Marino, was most certainly ready to lead a successful 2022-2023 season.
The Quake spoke with Coach (and engineering teacher) DeBellis to ask him about his experience as a wrestler and his pursuit of coaching. Coach DeBellis highlighted the impact his career as a wrestler had on him: “I wrestled in highschool and college and think that the best way to get to really know who students are and to help them to fulfill their dreams and goals is to coach.” With his passion for teaching kids and his lifelong experience as a wrestler, Coach DeBellis is able to provide unique insight and support as the Greeley Wrestling Team’s Head Coach.
In addition to Coach DeBellis, the Quake interviewed Greeley sophomore wrestler Zan Nissman and inquired about his experience on the team. Zan spoke about the impact of the new senior captains, Joshua Hametz and Vinny Sasso, and the key role they play in the unity and camaraderie of the team. However, Zan also reflected that “we, [Greeley], lost some great guys this year such as Vincent Santelia, Luke Richards, Julian Coku because they graduated. But, many of the seniors have really stepped up to their roles and the underclassmen have too,” emphasizing the importance of captains in unifying a team. Even though wrestling is typically seen as a more individual sport, the team ultimately must come together to reach a main goal.
Zan Nissman also provided further unique insight, as this is his first year on the Greeley Wrestling Team. Zan talked about how his experience at Greeley has changed for the better since joining the team: “So far, it has been a lot of fun, but with that comes a lot of determination and hard work. But it is worth it, because the wrestling community here at Greeley has really taken me in with welcoming arms even though it is only my first year.”
The Greeley Varsity Wrestlers had a great season led by dedicated, supportive coaches. The senior captains, Hametz and Sasso, seem to have cultivated spirit and camaraderie, especially for the first-year wrestlers. With the hard work of both the wrestlers and the coaches, the Wrestlers have continued their success from last season and have made an even greater impact this 2022-2023 season. We here at the Quake wish them good luck in their future grapples!