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Fifty-One And Counting Meet Wrestler Brandon Cousino

photo by Photo Provided With the season coming down to the state championships, VUHS wrestler Brandon Cousino and his team have goals to reach to cap off remarkable seasons!

photo by Photo Provided In the 170 weight class, Brandon is seeded second in the state after a fantastic year of growth!

Tuesday March 3, 2015

By Cookie Steponaitis

For old timers being pinned meant a young man gave his special pin to his special girl letting the community know they were a couple. Presently VUHS sophomore Brandon Cousino is sporting a jacket with fifty-one pins and counting. The pins represent wins against wrestling opponents this year and Brandon Cousino is a young man with a mission.
    “I started wrestling back in fourth grade when a classmate asked me if I wanted to try it,” explained the VUHS wrestler.  “ My current goal is a state championship, seventy-five or more wins for my high school career record and getting at least fifty pins in my career by the end of this year.” Cousino is currently ranked number two in the state in the 170 lb. weight class and has only lost to one in-state opponent so far this season. He has a current career record of 78-18 and fifty-one pins as of 2-18-15. Cousino has been wrestling with the attitude of not getting too worked up before any match. “I am usually trying to keep a calm mind and trying not to focus too much on the upcoming match,” shared the young wrestler. “I usually prepare by just talking with my friends and teammates before my matches to take away some of the anxiety of having an upcoming match.”
    While Cousino works very hard and excels in his chosen sport he is quick to praise the coaching staff both during school and in the off season for their help. “I have to give all my credit to sticking with the sport of wrestling, through all the sweat and tears shed throughout the years, to my coaches Nate and Scott,” explained Cousino. “They have kept pushing me throughout the years to try just 1% more every time I wrestle. My coaches during the off season have also helped a ton. They have taught me so many moves that I wouldn't usually see during the regular season.” Cousino’s 50th pin came in Fair Haven on February 18th and involved a move called a spladie.
    The best advice Cousino has received to date came from Connor Keating, the wrestling coach at Norwich University. He told the young athlete to keep his body moving in a fluid motion and not to rely on strength to win a match and this advice has kept Cousino focused and grounded throughout his years so far in wrestling. The season is not quite over and there is still room for Cousino’s goal to keep moving forward and add more pins to his growing collection. One fact the young wrestler wanted all the Valley Voice readers to know is that even if you are the slightest bit curious about a sport to make sure to give it a try and in the case of VUHS wrestler Brandon Cousino, this is a year of goals, pins and plans.

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