The Fountain Hills High School wrestling team held its second and last home meet of the 2021-2022 season last Monday, Jan. 10. The Falcons honored their seniors and beat San Tan Foothills in a dual meet.

Seniors Michael Marsello and Travis Trapani won by pinning their opponents on senior night. The Falcons, who have one of their biggest rosters in recent years, were missing several grapplers on the day, including senior Hector Leon, to COVID or other illness. Marsello usually wrestles in the 132 or 138 weight class, but he wrestled 144 while Trapani, who usually wrestles at 144, jumped up to the 157-weight class.

JT Despain, the Falcons’ captain, was the only other senior to wrestle on senior night. Despain weighs 190 but lost the 215 wight class match with San Tan. Stephen Broetsky was fresh out of COVID protocol and didn’t wrestle, and Matt Chandler injured his ankle in the Coolidge Invitational the Friday before senior night, but they both supported their teammates from the sidelines.

“I had to record a couple matches on Friday when I hurt my leg,” Chandler said. “The videos were terrible because I kept going all over the place. In the matches, I’m usually yelling and especially when it’s my fellow seniors, it gets intense. I’m just as intense as them sometimes.”

Chandler said he accidently pulled an opponent on top of him when he meant to pick them up. He heard a pop when his ankle rolled over, and he suspects it is an Achilles injury. Chandler had not received an MRI by Monday, but the initial diagnosis of “not broken” was an encouraging sign for Chandler.

Chandler hopes to return and compete at sectionals. He has a high pain tolerance on the wrestling mat, as he placed fourth in the Wickenburg tournament to start the season with a pinched nerve in his shoulder. Chandler wrestled his freshman and sophomore years but didn’t wrestle last year, in the height of COVID. He said this year’s Wickenburg tournament was the first time in his career he placed in a tournament.

Chandler wasn’t the only senior to recall the Wickenburg tournament. The seniors started their sophomore season at the Wickenburg tournament, and Trapani said he remembers coming in last place as a team in 2019. That was Trapani’s first meet as a wrestler and, in 2021, the Falcons took third place at the tournament.

The Falcons have improved and grown since 2019, and Trapani is fresh off a 7-2 run and fifth place finish in the Coolidge Tournament. Trapani wants to carry his momentum into sectionals and advance to state this year.

Every Falcon wants the chance to compete at state. They have spent so much time together that they have similar goals, and the Falcons are rooting for each other’s success. Most of the wrestlers have known each other for years, and Trapani credits Broetsky for recruiting him as a sophomore.

Broetsky has wrestled all four years, and said he was 11-3 on the season before illness sidelined him. He’s usually the Falcons’ wrestler in the 144-weight class, and he loves how each year there is a notable difference in his skill from beginning to the end of the season.

All the seniors said they love wrestling for one reason or another. Everyone said they feel physically and mentally stronger because of the sport, they like the constant challenges, and they enjoy each other’s company.

“It’s every little bit of it,” Michael Marsello said. “The tournaments, the people, the coaches. Coach Salzmann said, ‘wrestling will turn into a brotherhood,’ and that’s how I feel about everyone on the team. It’s become a brotherhood.”

Marsello wrestled all four years, but his wrestling career actually began on the baseball field. Marsello was umpiring for a little league all-star game in Scottsdale when he was in middle school, and he happened to meet assistant wrestling coach Rob Trulson there.

Trulson, who had three kids wrestle for Fountain Hills, still helps the Falcons as an assistant to head coach Luke Salzman. Just like Marsello and his class of seniors help recruit younger athletes, Trulson helped recruit and develop wrestlers.

“Two years ago, we had a very young, small team,” Salzman said. “It's a totally different atmosphere now. Even though it has been tough to hold the team together with COVID, we have strength in numbers and experience. Seniors are always great to have on your team. The younger guys look up to them and follow their lead. Wrestling is a unique sport where grade levels are blended together, and everyone hangs out together.”

As captain, JT Despain takes responsibility for his team and their wellbeing. He led team Fountain runs over winter break, but said he’ll never ask his team to do something he’s not willing to do himself.

“I need to make sure all my teammates are at practice, making sure they’re emotionally there,” Despain said about his responsibilities. “Sometimes wrestling season can get long, really long sometimes, so just having everyone’s head in the right place. Focusing on the next day, then the day after that.”

Despain, an Eagle Scout, has already submitted paperwork for a two-year mission trip with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after his senior year. He doesn’t know where he’ll go but wrestling taught Despain to take challenges head-on.

Despain was injured for sectionals last year, but he and the rest of the Falcons have high goals for the postseason this year. The Falcons continued their winning ways and went 3-1 in Mogollon on Wednesday, Jan. 12. The Falcons beat Round Valley, Hayden, and Miami, but lost to Mogollon. The Falcons will compete in the Desert Challenge Tournament at San Tan Foothills High School, this weekend, Jan. 21-22.