Will VanVleet accomplished something that no wrestler at Mohawk Trail has ever done before. 

VanVleet walked away with a win in a match at 215 pounds on Friday against Northampton. The victory was the 100th in his career, making him the first Warrior wrestler to hit the century mark. 

Friday’s win was one of many impressive wins VanVleet has scored on the mat, and the fact that it was Senior Night in Buckland made it even more special.

“I try not to think about it,” VanVleet said on Tuesday after picking up his 99th career win against Athol. “One hundred wins is fun. It’ll be nice having it on my senior night. It’s been a long time coming. I like to think of it more as a prime example of our wrestling program than of me personally. Without this team and my coaches, I never would have been able to get to 100 wins. The wrestlers who came before me never had the opportunity. It’s great I’ve been able to do it. I can’t wait to see a banner with my name up at Mohawk.” 

It’s not the first major accomplishment the senior has had on the mats. VanVleet won the Western Mass. Div. 3 sectional in 2021 at 220, and finished as the sectional runner-up last winter. He’ll be looking to add another title in the near future to cap off his career, with the Western Mass. tournament set for Feb. 10.

VanVleet would be the first to tell you how much he’s improved since he began wrestling as a seventh grader. His 100th win should have taken place last season, but with the 2020-21 wrestling season canceled due to COVID-19, it put some doubt into whether VanVleet would have enough matches to hit the mark. 

“I definitely though it was a possibility,” VanVleet said. “Having just one win my seventh grade year made it seem far away. Over time I’ve gotten better and progressed as a wrestler and as a person. Back in the day one of our wrestlers [Mason Biagini] got to 99 wins. I know all the kids when I was there were close to it when Covid hit. I’ve been able to do this even with the Covid year where nobody wrestled. I’d be way past 100 wins if not for Covid. It is what it is.”

VanVleet said he won’t be the only Warrior wrestler with 100 wins for long, as he predicts one junior will join him on the banner next winter. 

“It’s not like I’m a standout,” VanVleet said. “I definitely think that Logan Moore is on track for 100 wins. He’ll probably have it midseason next year. He’s been doing great.”