Wrestling Rams finish third in Vin Nicita Tourney with Builes, Polanco and Barbour the new Big 3
December 6, 2023 at 11:13 p.m.
Port Chester's wrestling Rams are back big time.
Head coach Joe Facciola's resurgent Rams unveiled a dominant Big 3 at the start of what could be called a new era in Port Chester's storied wrestling history during the team's season-opening third place finish in the prestigious Vin Nicita Invitational Dual Meet Tournament last Saturday (12/2) in Harrison.
The Rams haven't been at full strength since they were the only Port Chester team to have their full season canceled during the start of the COVID pandemic, but that has changed now.
New record turnout
A record 80 student-athletes came out for the team at the start of the new winter season—and that means the Rams now have depth at every step up the weight class wrestling ladder.
And that quickly became apparent during the Vin Nicita invitationals.
Before the day ended with three wins over East Ramapo, Hackley and Harrison and a close loss to Eastchester, the Rams unleashed a new Big 3 in three different weight classes with Laila Builes (101 pounds), Eduar Polanco (124) and Jaden Barbour (215) going an undefeated 4-0 in their tournament matches.
What makes that so noteworthy is the names involved and what they could mean at the start of a new wrestling era for Port Chester.
The Port Chester High School wrestling team made a large showing at the Vin Nicita Tournament in Harrison on Dec. 2.Courtesy of Joe Facciola
Emerging Big 3
Builes, for example, an eighth-grader, has already won international age and weight class jiu jitsu titles and was making her varsity debut wrestling against boys—and what a debut it was.
She won every match in the first period in times of 57 seconds flat against Harrison, 1:29 versus Eastchester-Tuckahoe, 33 seconds flat against Hackley and 1:38 versus East Ramapo, meaning she barely broke a sweat in tossing the boys for a loop. She was named the meet's best outstanding freshman. And she will continue wrestling against the boys as well as in the girls’ division. Although the season is just beginning, Laila could end up becoming the first Port Chester athlete to win a state championship in any sport. And she could do it in both the male and female wrestling divisions.
Barbour 'The Man'
Polanco just missed making the All-Section wrestling team last year as a sophomore and is determined to make the All-Star team this year. And Barbour, the best offensive and defensive lineman on the Rams football team, battled his brother in wrestle offs all last year to represent the Rams in the heavyweight division, but with his bro now graduated, he is "The Man" in Port Chester's heavyweight division.
But that isn't the whole story.
Because the Rams demonstrated strength in every weight class, rung by rung, in the shifting weight ladder throughout the tournament.
Performance details
In the opening round against Harrison, a 48-40 win, David Escobar won his 131-pound match with a fall in 4:20, Joao Silva Santos (145) won with a fall in 1:26 as did Nicholas Pereira (152) in 3:50, Christopher Gonzalez (160) in 41 seconds flat, and Alejandro Velasquez (190) in 2:42 with Builes, Escobar and Barbour also winning their matches.
In the second round, Eastchester-Tuckahoe beat the Rams 44-30 with the Ram winners including Erik Coyt (108), Escobar, Builes, Polanco and Barbour.
In the Rams’ 50-24 win over Hackley, the Port Chester winners included Builes, Andrew Abraham (108), Polanco, Logan Kuhn (138), Santos, Pereira, Jonathan Tenesaca (170), Barbour and Alber Poroj (285). And in the 54-23 beatdown against East Ramapo, the Ram winners included Builes, Coyt, Polanco, Escobar, Santos, Pereira, Tenesaca, Velasquez, Barbour and Poroj.
The next big test
The Rams showed their roster depth in various weight classes. And they needed every ounce because they had to beat Harrison in a crossover match for third place, winning 48-30 in a meet that Pleasantville wound up by winning by one point over Eastchester-Tuckahoe in the finals.
So it was a promising opening round for the rebounding wrestling Rams—especially their new Big 3.
Their next big test in the second round of the new winter season tournament cycle comes Saturday (12/9) at 9 a.m. away against multiple schools competing in the Rye/Rye Neck Invitational.
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