The CESJDS wrestling team faced off against McLean Wednesday in a game that was not scored. 

“We didn’t count it because we didn’t match up well with them in regards to weight class,” Athletic Director Becky Silberman said. “For wrestling, you compete against people who weigh the same as you and they primarily had middle school students and we have primarily high school students.”

The match started off with two losses for the Lions, with freshmen Oliver Ferber and Sam Winkler losing on pins. After that, the wins started coming for the Lions as freshman Aaron Berns, in his first wrestling match, won 6-2. 

“They did great tonight,” wrestling coach Chuck Woolery said. “We had two first time wrestlers … , and they did better than any first wrestler I’ve ever seen wrestle before, got some natural ability coming up… Young guys could be the key.”

After a streak of wins, the team suffered a few losses . Ferber lost in his second exhibition match after he was pinned. Seventh-grader Ari Hoch, competing in his first wrestling match, lost 5-8. Still, the young wrestlers had a strong performance, including Winkler in his second match, who won via pin

“It felt great doing my first [pin] for JDS in a PVAC match, and my second match of the year felt great,” Winkler said.

Seniors also had strong representation, with senior Alex Isaac winning via pin after leading 8-0 and Adam Gaskill winning 13-0. Senior and captain Adiv Liebstein didn’t compete, but cheered on his teammates while he kept score. 

“It was great,” Liebstein said. “[They’re] learning a lot, got some great wins and now can improve.” 

The team’s next meet is scheduled for Jan. 8 at Georgetown Day School.