The Cranston West junior varsity and freshman wrestling teams took home state championships last weekend to provide the varsity Falcons the state’s best feeder system. It was the second season in a row that the freshmen took the title, while the JV club took second as a team last winter.

Ben Jawharjian won the 120-pound title while Henry Prendergast placed first at 160. Joey Corso then finished first at 195 pounds.

West coach Tom Lynch was impressed with the season Corso had. He was a first-year wrestler that made an immediate impact and even contributed to the varsity program at times. Corso pinned all of his opponents at states to roll to the title.

“Team-wise, I’d have to say the MVP of the JV tournament was Joey since he was a first-year wrestler and pinned everyone through. We never expected him to come out his first year and win a championship,” said Lynch.

Sam Naiefeh finished second in his division, while Diego Alvarez and Caiden McBride took fourth. Jayden Soy finished second in his division at the freshman states.

The varsity Falcons have been one of state’s best teams in the past three seasons and will be in the championship mix at states later this month. West will be graduating a whopping 12 seniors, but the coaching staff is confident that there will not be a big drop off considering their roster boasts so much depth.

“We’re graduating 12 seniors but Western Hills has been a great feeder system and they are sending 10 quality freshmen up next year. Six years ago we only had 10 guys on the roster, this year we had 48. It says a lot about where this program came from and where it’s going. Where it’s going, hopefully, is top three this year and eventually winning a state championship,” said Lynch.

The JV and freshmen championship wrestlers will be called on to make a splash early next year, and Lynch expects them to hit the ground running.

“They’re definitely ready for that next step, that varsity spot. Having 48 kids is huge. Having that many kids in the room, you’re getting a lot of competition and competition breeds champions,” Lynch said. “When you’re on JV and going up against varsity wrestlers, you’re only going to get better. They’re ready for sure and it’s because they’ve gone up against tough competitors.”