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01/10/2018 11:00 PMJosh Rao competes for the football, wrestling, and outdoor track teams at East Haven High School. Even though he’s been playing football for nearly his entire life, Josh says that wrestling is now his favorite sport. Josh is a junior captain who grapples in the 182-pound weight class for the Yellowjackets.
“I’ve been wrestling since freshman year, but wrestling is my main sport now,” says Josh. “My friends said I should come out for the team with them, so I did, and I really ended up liking it.”
Since Josh was new to the sport, he had a steep learning curve to deal with upon joining the Easties. However, Josh really liked that aspect, and he’s still learning new things about wrestling every time he hits the mat.
“It was hard because everybody knew more moves than me. It was a new experience, but I like learning what the sport is really all about. I like the different things about it that made me like it more and made me more dedicated towards it,” Josh says. “It’s not only about how strong somebody is. It’s about not giving up and not being taken down, which I thought was cool. The best part is knowing there are more things I can learn.”
Josh has not only worked hard to earn a captain’s role for Head Coach Lou Rivellini’s squad, but he’s also improved in the win-loss column. Josh recently posted a second-place finish at the Danbury Holiday Tournament, a prestigious invitational that featured more than 20 teams.
“Josh has worked incredibly hard this offseason to make himself better. He attended one of the top wrestling camps over the summer and has not stopped trying to improve himself since he returned,” says Coach Rivellini. “He is the only junior captain on our team and has done a great job taking some of the younger guys under his wing and showing them how it’s done. Josh is slowly starting to make a name for himself as one of the top guys at 182, and the sky is the limit for him this season.”
Josh has moved around the weight classes during his three seasons with East Haven, but he now seems to have found a home in the 182-pound division.
“My freshman year I was at 170, and my sophomore year, I was at 195. This year, I started at 195, but am at 182, and that’s where I’m probably going to finish,” says Josh. “For me, I like 182. It’s my favorite. It’s not kids just stalling. There is more action. At 170, you see a lot more shooting, and at 195 is more strength and technical. 182 is everything put together.”
Josh’s favorite move to execute in a match is called the blast double. Josh says it’s an effective finisher that he goes for whenever it’s available.
“You put your forehead into their stomach and basically drive right through them,” says Josh. “It’s more like a slam, but you can lift with it, too. I usually drive right through them to the ground.”
Josh has seen a lot of success in the javelin as a member of the Yellowjackets’ outdoor track team. He’s also a quality lineman for the football squad, having finished the 2017 season with 59 tackles and a team-high four sacks.
“I read my tackle and see where he goes,” says Josh. “If the quarterback drops back, I’m always trying to go in and get the sack. I don’t think I did too bad this year, but I could’ve done better.”
Josh is set to captain the East Haven football team next fall and feels thrilled to have that role for the wrestling squad right now. Josh had a great year on the mat last winter, and he’s hoping to continue his success throughout his last two seasons with the Yellowjackets.
“I’m pretty excited. To be a leader is really cool,” says Josh. “I did good last year at SCC and states. Seeing those, I want to be No. 1. I did a lot this offseason, so hopefully, I can go out there and win both of those things.”