Go armed! Beat the navy!
Come on Navy! Beat the army!
These two slogans often serve as rally cries linked to athletics which mean so much for the athletes of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York and the athletes of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
This week, these slogans will mean a little more when they shouted inside Christl Arena in West Point Sunday afternoon while the Black Knights army (6-3 in total, 3-2 Eiwa Duals) is Prepare to host the aspirants from the Navy (5-3, 4 -0 in Eiwa Duals) during the 69th edition of The Star Match, which is part of the Army-Navy Star series presented by USAA.
“This is what university sports are talking about,” said West Point head coach Kevin Ward. “You will see 20 young men fighting for a truly worthy cause, and it will not be the most important thing they do in their lives. They will move on and do more important things. It is guaranteed; Every 20, and every 40 athletes on each list, it will not be the most important thing they will do in their lives. For me, it’s cool.
“You can watch these people fight, knowing that they will move on to even more important things. So if there is a double meeting, anyone could be late (it’s this one). This is the reason why we call it the American match; This represents the ideals which, in our view, make this country large. »»
A double encounter that means something
In the new era of the university struggle, the fight in playoffs in March has the most. It seems that the double individual encounter – whether double or otherwise rivalry – transports perhpas less weight and value than in the past.
The army against the navy is an exception to this trend. No matter the sport, the result is enormously important if the Black Knights and the Midshipman compete against each other.
“It is (feelings) of the excitement and appreciation that we are part of it,” said Ward, being part of such a legendary rivalry. “I mean, there are teams across the country, and almost none of them can fight in double meetings that really count.
“You can fight in a double competition, and this goes in a file, but there is no involvement in the double competition. You are not awarded a trophy for Dual Meets. In many ways, in our sport, double meetings are a bit unrelevant. … This one counts.
Ward explained more why the army against the navy week is not only another dual calendar.
“These are two institutions, not just two teams; These are two truly, really proud and very important institutions, who fight against the other. And it doesn’t matter if it’s a wrestling match or a chess match or the debate club, “Ward said. “And the struggle is the most primary, perhaps the most physical and exhausting of all, and that is what makes it special, is that there are two institutions that really care there. There are people who do not care about another match of the season, but they will care about it. “”
Each time is the right time for this double
Before Sunday’s match – should attract the biggest crowd in the history of Christl Arena – with more than 2,000 tickets sold (not counting student passes), the coach teams of Ward and Cary Kolat have Momentum levels different.
Navy makes a sequence of four consecutive victories which dates back to December 21 and includes victories on American, a team from Lehigh, then the top-25, Harvard and Bucknell. The aspirants have not abandoned a dual team since November 9, when the navy fell into the state of Iowa on the road to Ames.
The defeat against cyclones was the second consecutive defeat of the Navy after the battle of the Navy after the drop in northern Carolina heels six days earlier during the Tri-Met navy, which the navy hosts at home in Annapolis .
The other victory for the Navy double competition over the year was against the enemy of Eiwa Drexel, also at home.
On the other hand, Army arrives at the force test with Navy after abandoning two consecutive duels.
The Black Knights were on the wrong side of the consecutive road duels in the state of Keystone, first against Bucknell (January 26) then against the Mountain Hawks of Lehigh (February 1).
The army has not seen a double competition moving since January 19 on the road to American.
Before this brutal distribution, Army West Point Wrestlers had started the season fairly well, winning victories against Purdue and victories against Buffalo, Morgan State, Long Island and American. Each of these four victories came from 30 or more points. During the holidays, the army obtained a second place in its Black Knight Invitational on November 24, then won the honors of first place at Southern Sachuff in Chattanooga (January 4-5).
Even if the two teams come with contrasting momentum levels, Ward is not worried about the reaction of its wrestlers.
“Adversity is an important part,” said Ward about the version, which is the five -month -old college wrestling season. “And, unfortunately, you may have had to find part of this adversity in competition and not in the wrestling room, but we found it; So that’s good, and now the answer to this really counts, and I think the wait is really important (too).
“Make sure we expect us to expect good things. I think we can increase our expectations a little, and when we do, guy, all limits have disappeared. »»
Not only Ward thinks that his cadets only scratch the surface of their true potential as an individual and as a team, qualifying the season of “slow burn” so far, but he also said that he thought that There was “never a bad time for the Dual Army-Navy.
“At any time, that’s the right time for this one,” Ward said about the Army-Navy Star series. “No matter what happened last week. It is always a new opportunity, and it is a whole new opportunity every year. And, therefore, it’s always a good time for this double meeting, whatever happens. You don’t need additional motivation. You are delighted to go out in the arena and be able to make a show, but you no longer need motivation. It’s always the right time (for the star series).
Nearly a dozen wrestlers classified at the national level
According to the 20 students-athletes, not only any sporting drama of the Navy army, but the double competition of Sunday offers nearly a dozen wrestlers classified at the national level among the 20 students who should take the carpet, depending on the latest flow rankings.
According to these same rankings, there is the potential for four battles classified compared to four people (141, 174, 197 and 285), and up to seven of the 10 fights in total should present at least one competitor classified on the scale National (125, 133, 141, 165, 174, 197, 285).
If these statistics are not sufficient, consider this rivalry as back and forth in recent memory.
To date, the Star Match series record between the Black Knights and the aspirants under its current brand in the past two decades is 9-9-1 in total, with many recent duels decided by narrow margins.
The army won the last double last year in 2024 in Annapolis, 18-17. The last victory of the Marine Star match occurred in 2023, winning via a score of 18-13 on the road to West Point.
“It is a crowded gymnasium with a few thousand fans, and they are close to the carpet. They are just above you, “Ward said about the Dual’s unique environment in Christl Arena. “And what fans are looking at is, per capita, the densest population of future special forces of the military across the country.
“You look at some of the best of the best, and these people who are going out, and they will be able to do the things you watch in the movies, and they are fighting right in front of you. They will give everything they have on both sides. There will be no drop of efforts when they leave the carpet. »»
Ward continued saying that it expects this duel to be a “hyper-competitive duel with 10 very hard games”. He pointed out that the level of talent for students-athletes involved in this dual increases each year.
The army against the navy has a purity
Ward also believes another element of what makes the annual dual of the Navy army so special that he demonstrates what he believes that university athletics is in competition – in competition for the love of sport.
“It’s a real competition, and they are real students athletes on both sides. There are no transfers; There are no fifth and sixth year competitors. There is no one who is under the illusion that they sign the Big Nil Deal or Going Pro, “said Ward.
“There is a purity in this competition that you lose in a way in university athletics at the moment; If you look at another double meeting, “How many transfers?” If you look at the 20 people in competition in each double meeting you look at, almost half of them are transfers (in the establishments of the non-service academy). These (army and navy wrestlers) are really bought in a team. It just adds an additional level of passion, an additional level of what I think college athletics should be, which fights for your team, believing in something bigger than you and do it because you love it . “”
“ Winning is not final and losing is not fatal ”
Make no mistake, Ward, his staff and his athletes hope to win a victory on Sunday in front of what is sure to be a house filled with Christl Arena. All involved want to extend their sequence of double -meeting victories on the team in the navy blue and gold jerseys with two consecutive double -meeting victories.
That said, Ward also said that he thought that “winning (the dual) is not final and losing (double) is not fatal”.
“Our philosophy in this program is that whatever happens, you will learn. You will move on. You are going to take the right things with you and you will leave the luggage behind, and you will use it to improve yourself, “said Ward.
“Listening as winning is not final and losing is fatal; You will move on. If you win the match, well, move on. The season is not over. If you lose the match, well, it sucks, but you can learn a lot.
Ward pointed out that one of the unique elements of the struggle is that, once the athletes reach the playoffs, it is a clean slate and a whole new season in that no result – good or bad – is important for move forward.
“You enter the conference tournament with a record of 0-0 over the year, and all that you dreamed of accomplishing is still there before you, whatever what happened last week or two Three weeks, ”said Ward. “And so, I think we have done our work as trainers, which I feel that we have when we wake up on Monday morning. You know that the spirit of this team will be in the right place. »»
Look at the double Army-Navy meeting at 4 p.m. HE Sunday live on Flowrestling.