GFA Wrestling at New Englands

Jose Tamayo ‘27

6 am until 10 pm. 16 hours straight. Greens Farms Academy wrestling did what they had to do to walk away New England Champions. Head wrestling coach Jack Conroy has a ritual that the team does before every match. He makes sure to find out how they’re going to be the first team to sign in, get to the event, and set up for the long day ahead of them. February 14th, 2026, was no exception. While we had the advantage, being the home team, the expectation was still set extremely high. Be at GFA at 6 am, this means a 5 am wake-up for some, a hotel room for others, and mattresses lined up in the computer science wing for everyone. The wrestling doesn’t start until closer to 9 am, but if arriving 3 hours early means being first, then that’s what they’ll do. 

Photo by Kayla Batres ‘27

The first matches started off fast, each opponent getting thrown around and pinned in seconds. It was clear GFA was here to win. Young underclassman wrestlers like Logan Bailey and Jax Scruletta really stood out. Despite their young age, they dominated their weight class with grit, and they made it look easy. This tournament was an amazing example of what team wrestling looks like. Clutch pins that secured team points and techs that drained other wrestlers' stamina and confidence were both key factors to our success. While the beginning was going smoothly, there was still some heavy competition on the mat. Schools like Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH) sent over some tough opponents, some winning their own weight classes. Senior wrestler and Bucknell commit Jackson Heslin pinned the number 10 wrestler in the country for an extremely hype semi-final match. Top wrestlers Blake Jacobson, Kaleb Jackson, and Joe Mahoney were putting on shows during their matches. Almost every one of their opponents ended up getting teched or pinned, making for some very entertaining wrestling. Our stats didn’t disappoint either. With 13 of our wrestlers making it to a finals match and 8 walking away champions, GFA won as a school as well. The #1 wrestler in America, Max Konopka, and the #2 wrestler in America, Kayla Batres, took home trophies with ease: proving that they belong at the top. 

When the wrestling finally ended, Jack made sure to congratulate everyone who wrestled and thanked the managers and other team members who were not wrestling, who gave up their Saturday to help set up and run the scoreboards all day. When asking volunteers how they felt about staying all day, most of them were just happy to have the opportunity to watch some really high-level wrestling. 16 hours. Countless matches. One goal. What started at 6 am ended with trophies, medals, and a championship banner. More importantly, it ended with a team that proved hard work and commitment pay off. At GFA, being the first to arrive wasn’t just a ritual - it was the standard.