With the New Trier High School boys wrestling postseason arriving on Feb. 8, and a recent smacking at the hands of Maine South High School, it’s easy to assume the Trevians are in a tough place. 

While team state may be out of the question, individual state is still up for grabs. One such wrestler, junior Matthew Miralles, whose weight class is 126 pounds, believes he has a shot.

“My bracket will depend on a lot, but if I wrestle well, I’m confident in myself. I think I could,” Miralles said.

The last time a member of the team reached the IHSA podium was in 2022 when then-senior Jack Cummings won the state tournament. Last year, Tagg Miller qualified for state, and now as a senior in the 157-pound weight class, he has similar hopes.

What sets this season apart from the rest is the lack of players in particular weight classes for events. While New Trier usually has 8 or 9 wrestlers, it often finds itself without students to compete in the 106 pound, 113 pound, 285 pound, and sometimes 120 pound weight classes. Whenever a team is missing someone for a specific weight class, it has to forfeit the match that corresponds to that particular weight class. As the rules of wrestling go, a team will gain 6 points if such an event occurs. This, as well as pinning someone, are the largest point increases in wrestling.

Another junior, Yassin Aitzem, whose weight class is 150 pounds, described the shortage as “demoralizing.” 

“Even though we have some people that can win, it’s an uphill battle, and it doesn’t create a winning environment. It doesn’t influence people to try,” Aitzem said.

Sometimes, the Trevians may head into matches down by as much as 36 points. This free head start that other teams receive has caused New Trier to lose some games.

“If you bring enough guys, you’re just gonna out score us regardless,” Miller said.

When winning is a possibility, there is extra pressure on New Trier’s wrestlers to perform at a high level.

“It’s hard. It’s a lot of points to make up for. It’s definitely a big gap we have to try and fill,” Miralles said.

Despite the major setback, the team camaraderie is at a high level and New Trier’s wrestlers get along very well.

“We uplift each other,” Aitzem said. “It’s a very funny environment. We’re always having fun.”

In the loss to Maine South, Aitzem suffered a partial meniscus tear and is now out for a few weeks, but hopes to be able to compete for state. Whether he can finish the season or not he believes the differences in this years’ team has, at times, brought out a different mindset.

“It makes it more individualized, so you’re wrestling for yourself at that point. But, at the same time, we still have a good team environment,” he said.

Even with the obstacles, the Trevians still win more than half the time. They beat Glenbrook North High School on Senior Night on Jan. 17. Additionally, Miralles got third place at CSL conference while Miller became CSL champion for his respective weight class, and in a separate event, got his 100th career win. For Miller, the journey wasn’t always marked by sunshine and roses. 

“There’s days you have practice and you don’t want to be there. But, to know you get better off of that—that definitely helps,” Miller said. “Sometimes you have a rough loss, the ability to tough that out helps and that all starts in the practice room.”