Falcons Wrestling Club sees growth both on and off the mat

Falcons Wrestling Club sees growth both on and off the mat

Wrestling has been on the rise both in the Greater Taunton area and nationally.

According to a participation study by the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS), wrestling is one of the fastest-growing high school sports, with the number of boys competing in the sport up by 25% since 2021-22 while girls participation has increased by 102% in the same time span.

Locally, all four area high school programs had at least one wrestler reach the championship bout in their respective division and weight class, with six wrestlers taking home state titles, including a first-ever back-to-back champion for Taunton High in Elijah Prophete.

Now, a local youth wrestling program is determined to continue building that path of success.

The Falcons Wrestling Club, which was founded in Dighton before moving to Taunton in 2021, are coming off their most successful winter season yet, both on and off the mat. Open to local athletes from kindergarten through eighth grade, the non-profit program saw a record-breaking 74 youth wrestlers, including a record 11 girls, register this year, breaking last year's record of 45.

"Its great to see the sport become more popular with both male and female participants," Falcons assistant coach Tim Collupy said.

On the mat, the Falcons had 22 wrestlers place at the Massachusetts State Tournament and two at the Rhode Island State Championship. Of those, nine wrestlers were crowned champions: Casen Collupy, Daniel Molinski, Dennis Daxberger, Dominic Horan, Liam Driscoll and Wyatt Sullivan in the Mass. Open Division; Avery Ferreira and Sydney Daxberger in the Mass. Girls Division; and Landon Solomito in the R.I. Open Division.

From there, 20 moved on to the 2025 Youth New England Wrestling Championships, held at GameOn in Fitchburg on March 15 and 16, with the Falcons having two champions (Lila Lemanski in 15U Girls and Sydney Daxberger in 12U Girls) and nine top-six finishers: Molinski in second; Casen Collupy, Dennis Daxberger and Trey Mendes in third; Ray Bumpus and Stella Rodrigues in fourth; Ferreira and Sean Oldmixon in fifth; and Solomito and Kathy Waldron in sixth.

In particular, it was an impressive season for Sydney Daxberger, who was awarded the Most Outstanding Wrestler award for her division at Youth New Englands and also finished as a finalist at the 2025 USA Wrestling Kids Folkstyle National Championship in Fort Wayne, Ind., back in January.

"She's one of the best female wrestlers in the country," Tim Collupy said.

Registration for the spring session is now open through May 1 for K-8 as well as high school wrestlers looking to improve in the offseason. Sessions begin April 1 and run Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for K-8 while high school sessions will run Mondays and Wednesdays from 6-8 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. on Sundays. Registration is $150 per wrestler, and the sessions are hosted at the Falcons' location above The Lighting Gallery, located at 82 Weir Street in Taunton.

The club is managed and led by head coach Jacob Bettencourt, while Tim Collupy, Adam Weafer, Bob Edington and Michael Waldron all serve as assistants. For more information, visit their website, falconswrestlingclubma.com.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Falcons Wrestling teaching next generation of Greater Taunton champs

Source: Falcons Wrestling Club sees growth both on and off the mat