Irvington Wrestling Team Rolls Past Hastings

HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. – Irvington High School wrestling coach Steve Aufiero teaches his wrestlers to compete for a full six minutes each match.

But that does not mean that he is unhappy when they pin their opponents.

“We work hard to wrestle six minutes, and that’s our ultimate goal, to beat a kid by decision,” Aufiero said. “But if we get a kid on our back, we’re going to stick him and we’re not going to let him up.”

Irvington collected five pins in a 60-24 victory at Hastings on Monday. The Yellow Jackets also forfeited three matches to Irvington.

Despite the seemingly lopsided score, Aufiero said the matches against Hastings are never easy.

“Hastings always wrestles us tough,” Aufiero said. “Each year, we come out of here feeling like they get the better of us with the matchups because sometimes they give up a few weight classes. But I felt today we really stepped up.”

Hastings coach Charlie Delanoy highlighted Irvington’s wrist control and ability to stay on top as two of the reasons for its success on Monday.  He added that he knows his wrestlers cannot win every match, so he preaches an attitude of toughness and earning respect.

Delanoy said he tells his wrestlers, if “you lose to a better wrestler, you lose to a better wrestler. But if you go in there tough and wrestle like a man, then teams will respect you.”

Delanoy could not recall his team’s exact record this year but said his team is improving.

“We’re giving up weight classes. We don’t win a lot of duals,” he said. “I think we’ve won four or five this year, which is three more than last year and five more than the year before.  So we’re going in the right direction. Every time, we’re getting a little better every year.”

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