Jan. 9, 2026
By Alexandra Lourenço
Editor-in-Chief
The boys wrestling team, which is co-oped with North Arlington High School, began its season at the Harry McLaughlin Invitational at Mahwah-Ramapo Ridge Middle School on Dec. 13. As of Jan. 9, the boys’ record was 0-2.
Among LHS’ wrestlers, junior Bora Aris, a three-year varsity member, was a top performer among the eight schools in attendance, finishing first in the 120-pound weight class.
“It felt good [to win] because when I wrestle, I don’t really feel confident,” Aris said. “After winning, I’m starting to trust myself more with my technique.”
“Wrestling’s a very individual sport, so if you win, you win, and you can’t say that it was a team effort. It was you who won.”
Aris said that as a leader on the team, he tries to set a good example for the younger wrestlers.
“If you want to be the best, you can’t be taking breaks, especially during practice,” Aris said. “I’ve been practicing a lot in the offseason, so I want to see that it’s paying off.”
Aris said the biggest challenge of the sport is keeping up with the other wrestlers in his weight class.
“Some of those kids [are] really lean [and] strong, and you have to have more technique than them. You need to be stronger than them. You need to be physically better than them. It’s tough,” Aris said.
Senior captain Chase Paglio, a four-year varsity member, said the wrestlers are especially dedicated this season.
“Everybody on the team is [wrestling] like they’re going to put everything they can forward, and I think we have a shot at winning our league this year,” Paglio said.
He said one of the most difficult aspects of the sport is cutting weight, which he believes should be done two months before the season starts to prevent illness.
“You’re not eating, you’re not drinking and you have to go out and exert as much energy as you can, while being depleted,” Paglio said.
He said the best part of wrestling is securing a victory on one’s own.
“Wrestling’s a very individual sport, so if you win, you win, and you can’t say that it was a team effort. It was you who won,” Paglio said.
While the sport’s individual nature makes winning particularly meaningful, Paglio said it can also pose a challenge in matches.
“You need to be better than the person in front of you, and if you’re not, then you’re going to lose,” Paglio said.
The girls wrestling team started strong on Dec. 29 with two wrestlers competing against 22 other schools at the 2025 Lady Cutter Tournament at Fair Lawn High School, with senior captain Aitana Lozano, a four-year varsity member, finishing first in the 107-pound weight class and North Arlington High School senior captain Leia Lumba finishing first in the 145-pound weight class.
Lozano said she has high expectations for the boys and girls teams.
“This season, we’re going to do [well]. I feel like we’re going to win a lot more matches as a team [and] get a lot further,” Lozano said.
She said the team’s practices, which consist of running, warm-ups, technique drills and live wrestling, prepare them for the challenges they face on the mat.
“We do lots of conditioning because, in the matches, even if you don’t have technique, if you can out-breathe someone, you can win that match,” Lozano said.
She said she would describe the team as a family.
“[We] all struggle together, and [we] all go through tough things because it’s a very hard mental sport,” said Lozano.
