NCAA boys wrestling: Noah Muraca and photo gallery
Noah Muraca is hoping to finish his high school wrestling career in the same way he started.
The Grade 12 student at Blessed Trinity has won a Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association title in every year of high school and would love to graduate high school as a four-time SOSSA champion.
“That would be pretty cool,” he said, between bouts at Friday’s Niagara Catholic Athletic Association meet at Blessed Trinity.
What would also be cool is to finish his high school career with his best-ever showing at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations’ championships
“It’s important to make it to OFSAA and I want to do my best, but as long as I know I tried my best and did everything I possibly could to win,” he said.
His best showing at OFSAA has been placing in the top 16.
“There is a little bit of pressure in my last year, but I feel like I have improved a lot since Grade 9 and I have gotten a better result every year,” he said. “This year, I am hoping to do the same thing.”
His OFSAA goal is to place in the top six.
“I know it’s gong to be hard, but I am going to try my best.”
All that previous OFSAA experience should pay dividends in 2019.
“It’s important and I feel like it plays a big factor because the first time I went to OFSAA I was really nervous,” he said. “It was my first year wrestling and I had no idea what was going on or what the tournament was like.”
“As I went in Grade 10 and 11, you get a little bit more comfortable.”
He started wrestling at 51 kilograms in Grade 9, wrestled at 54 kilograms in Grade 10 and at 61 kilograms in Grade 11 and this year.
“I feel like my technique has really improved compared to before when I was just thinking on the spot of what I needed to do,” he said.
There are many factors which make Muraca a strong wrestler, Blessed Trinity coach Megan Schweitzer said.
“Noah is very dedicated, he’s a really hard worker, he never misses a practice and he’s a really good listener,” she said. “When you give him advice or corrective criticism, he takes it and goes with it.”
Schweitzer would love to see Muraca fourpeat at SOSSA and then finish in the top six at the provincial championships.
“His confidence has improved a lot and he is really focusing on specific techniques that have really helped him in his wrestling,” she said.
Muraca has also enjoyed a challenging season.
“He has had some really tough matches this year and he’s come together as an athlete and matured,” Schweitzer said. “It’s nice to see that maturity from Grade 9 to 12.”
All the wrestlers at the NCAA meet advanced to the Zone 3 and 4 meet next Thursday at Thorold and District Secondary School.
The Niagara Region High School Athletic Association qualifying meet was supposed to be held Thursday at A.N. Myer but was cancelled because of bad weather. Wrestlers in the NRHSAA also advanced directly to the Zone 3 and 4 meet.
