After a successful season last year with four conference champions and two state placers, the varsity wrestling team has big plans to continue to improve. Head coach Daniel Gavin is heading into this season with high expectations and goals to make their record this year even better.

 “I want to have the entire team make the regional tournament and continue our streak of state qualifiers,” said Gavin.

 Many of the individual wrestlers will have no issue meeting this goal since they also have personal goals they are working hard to reach. Senior Rafat Abu-Ghannam wants to not only place at regionals, but also in the state championship, and has been pushing himself throughout the offseason after a setback during the last season.

 “Last season I didn’t get to wrestle because I had a knee injury, but I felt the team did well. [I] still supported them even though I couldn’t be out there,” said Abu-Ghannam.

 At the beginning of last season, Abu-Ghannam had a lateral patellar dislocation causing him to tear his medial patellofemoral ligament, which helps to stabilize the knee. After months of rehab and physical therapy, he will be returning to the mat in his last season and hopes to “go out with a bang”.

 “I don’t believe my knee should affect my performance because it’s just a setback I have to come [back] from,” said Abu-Ghannam.

 Another wrestler, who also suffered a less serious injury, who hopes to make his way to states is sophomore Paolo Orosa. After being recruited by his last school, St. John’s College High School, to wrestle, he will be continuing his fourth year of wrestling at Potomac Falls. He looks forward to working with the coaches and seeing how the team does.

 “There’s a lot of raw talent here and there’s definitely an effort being put in here, so maybe around mid season we’ll be matching up pretty well,” said Orosa.

 The head coach also believes they’re going to have a good season, but is a little worried that there won’t be a full lineup due to their lack of students who are able to qualify for the higher weight classes.

 ”We don’t have as many big guys, we’re hoping football will change that, but we’ll see,” said Gavin.

 This season looks to be interesting and successful for the team with coaches and wrestlers alike looking forward to putting massive amounts of effort into becoming the best they can be.

 “This year is more a rebuilding year. There’s a lot of good, young guys ready to make the varsity lineup,” said Gavin.

Key Matches:

LCPS Championships Dec. 16 and Dec. 17 at Rock Ridge High School

PFHS vs BRHS Jan. 9 at Broad Run High School

PFHS vs THS Jan. 12 at Potomac Falls High School

PFHS vs BWHS Jan. 18 at Potomac Falls High School

PFHS vs SBHS Jan. 25 at Stone Bridge High School