After three years of intense training and preparation, senior Craig Santos has earned the prestigious honor of becoming a NHIAA D1 wrestling champion.
In his final year at LHS, Santos exceeded all of his own expectations and left everything he had on the mats this past Saturday.
“It took a lot of hard work and dedication to get myself ready for [the tournament],” Santos said. “It has been a tough year for me and I trained hard to get ready for that day.”
This tournament follows directly after the conclusion of the regular season, and it hosts all wrestlers that belong to schools whose programs fall under division 1. Each qualified wrestler is then seeded and put against one another.
Santos, a favorite to win from the outset, flew through the bracket, defeating Alvirne’s Cameron McClure 12-10 in the final round and earning a spot on the highest pedestal.
“He fought really hard and we were all going crazy watching him,” said junior wrestler Vincent Del Signore. “He really pushed through it and was able to win against a tough opponent.”
Ever since his first day wrestling as a Lancer, Santos’s main focus has been on refining his skills on the mat and sweating it out in the gym to build strength. He has always wrestled with a deep desire to be the best he can be, and all of his hard work is finally paying off.
“I quit playing football after my freshman year to narrow my focus on wrestling,” Santos said. “This year I feel like I have grown to my highest potential and my cards have played out the way I hoped they would.”
To go along with his title of being a NHIAA D1 wrestling champion, he was selected as the meet’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. Coaches and teammates alike would agree that Santos is more than worthy for this title.
“Santos really does deserves [this award],” Del Signore said. “He is a hard worker on the mat and always has his head focused on what’s important to him.”
While he isn’t completely certain where he will be in a years time, Santos is fully committed into continuing his wrestling career at college. He plans to wrestle for “a D2 or D3 college after high school” and make his mark as the most motivated wrestler on campus.
Even though his final season at LHS has ended, Santos’s legacy will live on in the hearts of his coaches and teammates for years to come.
