Elwood HS Wins State Wrestling Championship

ELWOOD, NY — Elwood-John H. Glenn High School’s varsity wrestling team won the New York state dual meet championship on Feb. 2, the Elwood School District announced.

In the Division II final, No. 1 seed John Glenn, a finalist last year, defeated third-seeded Plainedge, 38-29, to take the title. In the semifinals earlier that day, the Knights had found themselves behind Unatego/Unadilla Valley/Franklin by 24-4 before notching seven straight wins for an impressive 39-24 victory.

The proud team was honored with a special school-wide assembly on Feb. 6 in the John Glenn gymnasium, as the championship banner was raised.

"Congratulations to our state champions, their parents and their coaches," Superintendent Gayle
Steele said in a news release. "This is truly a once in a lifetime accomplishment. You should feel so proud of yourselves, because we certainly are proud of you. You represent the very best of Elwood, and my best advice to you is to savor this moment. Understand that with this feat, your names are forever etched in the record books, not just here, but for New York state."

Corey McNamara, principal of Elwood-John H. Glenn High School, said not many schools have the opportunity to have a state championship banner on display, let alone multiple state champions.

"Here at John Glenn, we have the honor and privilege to have many state champions," McNamara said. "In fact, this is our second dual meet banner at JGHS. What that banner does not show, however, is the tremendous amount of blood, sweat and tears that goes into our wrestling program. These young men and women have spent countless hours training, controlling their diet and putting themselves alone in the spotlight of that circle in front of everyone to watch, win or
lose. This sport is often thought of as individual one, but we have a team full of wrestlers who will tell you otherwise. Their bond and camaraderie will likely go unmatched for the rest of their lives. If you wrestled or have been a part of wrestling, you understand that the difference between this sport and others is that those who participate don’t play a sport, they wrestle. These efforts are partnered with that of their parents, and finally, the coaches, who motivate our student athletes to continuously put forth their best effort in the most vigorous sport out there, in my opinion. This is no small feat, especially after a tough loss. To all of you involved in the program – parents, our coaches, and especially our wrestlers — congratulations on this well-earned state championship title."