Christ the King High School’s wrestling team went from one parent’s dream two years ago to a program that is thriving thanks to parent volunteers and the dedication of student athletes. (Nicole Seeling)HUNTERSVILLE — The Crusaders wrestling team at Christ the King High School in Huntersville is now two seasons strong, with 18 members and close to a full roster, only missing a heavy-weight.
During this winter 2025-2026 season, the team had a lot of firsts. They hosted their first home match, wrestled on their first competitive mat, and will battle it out for the first time in the 2A division state duals on Feb. 4 at Avery County High School.
“Right now, it is all about the little goals, like not getting pinned in a match or making it through the first period,” head coach Joseph Aiello said. “Stepping out on a mat one-on-one against another young man is a hard thing to do, and it takes a lot of courage.”
Aiello is proud of how the young team doesn’t shy away from a challenge, even when the odds are not in their favor.
“A lot of kids go through life never putting themselves in a position to really get beat. Most wrestlers lose, so it is a sport that’s very humbling,” Aiello said. “It is for the tenacious. For those who can persevere, it is less about being an athlete and more about putting in the effort.”
Team members have been pulling their weight, training, lifting, and practicing technique for two hours a day, five to six days a week. During the off-season, they trained and attended camp at Appalachian State University in Boone.
“It is a sport that is largely about experience and mat time, so we are doing our best trying to catch up, because these kids at CTK are all basically brand new and competing against some kids that maybe have been wrestling since the first grade,” Aiello said.
For Aiello, witnessing the growth of his players is inspiring, particularly since he didn’t set out to be a coach.
When touring CTK as a possible place to send his son, Hank, the school hit all the marks. A Catholic education with spiritual direction and academic excellence was everything he and his wife wanted – well, almost everything.
“The only problem with CTK was there was no wrestling team, and I just knew it was such a great sport for Hank,” Aiello recalled.
Aiello approached Assistant Principal Dr. Brian Keenan and asked if they ever considered adding a wrestling team.
The administrative team had been discussing the possibility but had no mat, no supplies, no money, and no coach.
“I just thought I could help maybe raise some money for the mats once it was started, but time kept getting closer and closer to school starting, and by freshman orientation, we still didn’t know if there was even going to be a team,” said Aiello.
His wife asked the critical question at orientation, “Are we going to have a wrestling team?”
“That’s when I kind of became head coach out of default,” Aiello said. “I have never coached before, but I was motivated to do it, not just for my own son but for all these boys.”
He gathered a collection of fathers to help, including Justin Ewing, Robert Yates, Pete Tomos and team manager Amor Comatcho. He then recruited his old wrestling buddies, Rusty Lee and Zack Nellas.
“Every one of us has benefitted from the sport of wrestling, and I think that’s why we are all doing it. It is a way of giving back,” Aiello said. “They brought a whole breadth of technical experience and knowledge.”
Last season, the new team received a $1,900 donation to purchase some very used practice mats, but the coaches knew a competition mat, which cost about $10,000, was the goal.
“Eventually, we had one donor who donated $5,000. As a group, we raised another $5000 for the mat. Part of that was from some of the guys giving back their stipend,” Aiello said. “We just had our first-ever home competition this season, and that never would have happened without our own mat.”
They won both home matches and with a 10 -18 record thus far, the young team keeps fighting.
As Aiello explained, “Dan Gable, pro wrestler, said, ‘Once you wrestle, everything else in life is easy.’ In my life personally, there was no more difficult day than I had on the wrestling mat.
Practices can be hard. Mentally, it can all be tough. In the end, it is just you out there. But…you truly get what you put in.”
— Lisa M. Geraci