With a roster including a number of underclassmen, first-year varsity wrestlers and athletes that are new to the sport, Greenwich High School’s varsity wrestling team has its sights set on improving each and every match, with the goal of being at its best during the championship meets at the end of the season in mind.

“There’s a lot to look forward and to get excited about,” Greenwich coach Jereme Petersen said. “Where we are now compared to where we will be in three to five weeks is going to be a very different place. I think we’ll be a much better team.”

Thus far, the Cardinals have held their own against the stiff varsity competitors they have faced.

Greenwich opened its 2023-2024 season by defeating Wilton on the road, 48-33, on Dec. 14, then its athletes produced solid efforts at the Guilford Invitational on Dec. 16.

In their home-opener against New Canaan, Greenwich was defeated, 43-24, in a competitive match and this past Saturday, the Cardinals hosted a quad meet against formidable squads Danbury, Fairfield Ludlowe and St. Joseph.

The Cardinals earned an impressive 51-30 win against St. Joseph and lost to powerhouse Danbury, 71-6 and Fairfield Ludlowe, also one of the standout squads in the state, 58-18.

“We’re super young,” Petersen said of his Cardinals squad. “Danbury took it to us, we had one win. Ludlowe, we competed a little bit better, but we were still on the losing end of that. Against St. Joe’s, we did a pretty good job of winning matches we should win.”

Overall, the Cardinals sport a record of 2-3 heading into the Trumbull Duals on Saturday at Trumbull High School. The Cards will indeed, be busy at the tournament, which begins at 9 a.m. and will have them competing in matches against numerous teams in the state.

Senior Thomas Andruss and junior Anthony Panarella are captains of Greenwich’s varsity team. Andruss is in his second year as one of the captains.

“We have a lot of newbies this year, so I think they’re rebuilding and I can’t wait to see their future,” said Andruss, also a cross country athlete. “The new guys have been doing well, we have four or five guys in their first year of wrestling and they’re doing well and enjoying it.”

In Greenwich’s 51-30 victory over St. Joseph, Mano Tertipoulos, a sophomore, won his match for the Cardinals against Juan Garcia in the 113-pound match. Tertipoulos took a 6-4 decision against Garcia, using a take down in the first period and a reversal and a take down in the second period to win the match. Panarella won his 126-pound match for Greenwich by forfeit and teammate Charles Iozzo, a junior, was pinned by Lucas Sotolongo in 1:17 in a tough 138-pound matchup.

Declan O’Regan, a senior, gave Greenwich a victory at 145, pinning St. Joseph’s Travis Finch in 2:51. O’Regan held a 5-0 lead on Finch prior to the pin, registering points on a pair of take downs and an escape. In the 150-pound match, Andruss was pinned by Michael Maroney of St. Joseph in 1:31. Andruss appreciated the competition and atmosphere the quad-meet featured.

“It was good, we received great support from our fans and family,” Andruss said. “Overall, for myself, I knew going in there were three tough teams. Danbury is a top team in the state and Ludlowe coming off a great season last year, so I knew it was going to be very tough.”

Junior Hunter Ehret was a winner in the 157-pound matchup for the Cards, taking his match by pinfall against the Cadets’ Sean Small in 58 seconds. Senior Ryan Alves (165-pound), also one of Greenwich’s experienced wrestlers, was victorious by pinfall against Santiago Hidalgo of St. Joe in 29 seconds. Alves was ahead, 2-0, when he posted the pin.

Freshman Alexander Neitzell continued his strong start to the season for GHS, winning his match by pinfall against St. Joseph’s Nicholas Nemergut (175-pound matchup) in 1:58. Neizell led 2-0 behind a first-period take down prior to pinning his opponents’ shoulders to the mat.

“I think that we have a lot of potential,” said Panarella, who is coming off a stellar sophomore season. “We have a lot of younger guys that are doing good. If we work on a few little things, like pinning people when they are on their back, we can have a good season.”

“Alexander Neitzell at 165 is only a freshman – he’s figuring it out and starting to click,” Petersen noted.

The 190-pound bout against St. Joseph saw Cardinals senior Lorenzo Lombardo pin Ortiz Genesis in 56 seconds. Lombardo was leading his match, 2-0, on a take down when he pinned his foe.

In a 215-pound match, sophomore Benedetto Graziosi of Greenwich lost by pinfall to St. Joseph’s Christian Rivera. Freshman Cody Griesmeyer of Greenwich (106-pound class) won his match by forfeit versus the Cadets.

In the Cardinals’ 58-18 loss against Fairfield Ludlowe, GHS freshman Ryder Caruso pinned Ludlowe’s John Nickel in 5:59 in the 120-pound match. Caruso was up, 10-0, behind five take downs prior to the pin. Panarella was victorious against Ashlynn Cummings (126-pound match) in 29 seconds in the Ludlowe match. Lombardo also won his match against the Falcons, pinning his foe in 3:38.

“Against Ludlowe, it was a good match, it was quick,” Panarella said. “I got the take down pretty early on and it was just a quick pin.”

Panarella is hoping for a podium finish in the postseason championship meets – the FCIAC and CIAC Class LL Championships.

“My goals this year – I want to place at FCIACs, I want to place at LLs and make it to the State Open,” Panarella noted. “Hopefully, I can place at Open. Last year, I made it to the blood round at LLs, I was a period away from going to the Opens.”

Andruss had Greenwich’s lone win against Danbury. He pinned Danbury’s Melanio Zapata in 30 seconds in the 150-pound match.

“I beat Danbury, which was very surprising,” Andruss said. “For me, it’s about building from last year. I had a great run at FCIACs and LLs and so it’s all about building for that.”

Last winter, Andruss posted a fifth-place finish at the FCIAC Tournament, which was held at New Canaan High School.

“It was the first time I placed at FCIACs and I had been on the team for three years,” he noted. “It was my first year as a captain, so to represent with that experience was so good. To stand with them and have them by my side was a great experience.”

Danbury went undefeated in this past Saturday’s quad meet at Greenwich. The Hatters also beat Fairfield Ludlowe, 55-19 and St. Joseph, 70-9. Ludlowe was victorious against St. Joseph, 58-12.

“We have 10 to 12 dual meets in the next two weeks,” Petersen said. “It should be a lot of fun, everyone will get in a lot of matches. “We’re trying to get our top four guys on podium in different tournaments. Colin Falla, Tommy Andruss, Anthony Panarella, Rylan Alves – getting those guys on podium and getting the younger guys two or three wins in those tournaments would be great.”

The Cardinals’ captains like what they see from the team so far this season and are embracing their roles, which include passing their wrestling knowledge to their teammates.

“I want to be the best captain I can be and have a positive effect on this team,” Andruss said. “My main goal is to leave this team better than I found it. I feel that I have grown since freshman year and I can teach these guys some of the things I have learned. This sport is filled with so many life lessons, which I can now instill in these guys.”

“I want everyone to come out of the season with a good foundation of wrestling,” Panarella noted.