On the evening of January 22, 2025, a wrestling match was held at Park Ridge High School. This wasn’t any ordinary match as there was a lot of pressure on the EPR wrestlers. If the team won against Becton-Ridgefield Park they would be league champions, but if they didn’t, the winning streak would be lost.

EPR fans and parents assembled in the gym awaiting the match. At 7:00pm, the lights went dark and the song “Born to be Wild” filled the gym as the wrestlers ran out. The morale was high. Shortly after that, the match would begin.

The first weight class was up 106, then 113, then 120 and more to follow. Before we knew it, we were halfway through at 144. EPR was winning!

Junior Nick Giella who wrestles 165 said, “Pressure on myself was high to help the team this year”.

Thirteen individual matches later and the final weight class is up, 285. At this point, the scoreboard showed that EPR had secured the well-deserved title. The team got a 54-16 win against Becton-Ridgefield Park, and everyone was ecstatic! The team gathered to take a photo, proud that they were able to secure this win.

When asked about the EPR wrestling team on a personal level, Giella said, “I like being a part of this team because we all look out for each other no matter what, and it’s just a big family”.

Head Coach Joe Mazzeo said, “Sixteen [years] in a row is such a huge accomplishment. The streak continues!”.

Congratulations to the Emerson-Park Ridge wrestling team!