Archil Paulin was in the same spot as many of his teammates.
And that’s what made him such a great leader.
Paulin is a senior on the Northeast High School wrestling team. He joined the team freshman year after talking with coach Mike Siravo during gym class.
“I had coach Siravo as my gym teacher, and one day on the track he said to me that I look like I can wrestle,” Paulin said. “I was hesitant at first, but I decided to give it a try and it didn’t take long to really fall in love with it.
“At the start, it was a real challenge but I really liked every aspect of it. I kind of liked it right from the start. I didn’t really play sports, really, other than from time to time on my own time, we’d play football. But I never really played anything for a team or anything like that. I would just play sports with my friends. Wrestling was the first for me.”
Paulin didn’t just join the Vikings.
He became one of the most important people on the squad, and he did it by learning from the veterans.
When he arrived freshman year, the Vikings had won two straight Public League championships, and he knew there were veteran wrestlers who would show him the ropes and get him prepared to be one of the top guys on a championship team by the time he was one of the leaders.
That plan couldn’t have gone any better.
Paulin, now a captain, just helped Northeast win its sixth straight Public League championship. The Vikings defeated Academy at Palumbo 44-27 to bring home No. 6 in a row and the fourth of Paulin’s career.
Paulin pinned his foe in 1:16. Other winners by pins for Northeast were Samiyah Rahming, Damon Ross, Jawad Jabareen and Furquan Yusuff. Alishan Aliyev won by tech fall, Zurab Dolidze won by decision and Syaire Anderson accepted a forfeit victory.
Northeast didn’t advance to the team state tournament because the Vikings dropped two matches to Catholic League teams St. Joe’s Prep and La Salle in the District 12 tournament, ending their dual meet season.
The big win was the Public League championship, and that’s a triumph Paulin will never forget.
“It’s really hard to do that, I’m so grateful I was able to be on a team that won four years in a row,” said Paulin, who is 23-5 on the season, mostly at 145. “I’m grateful for that. I think mainly it’s the athletes, our teammates, we’re all so united and we just wanted to go after it. And with our coaches, we work so hard for them. We went out with the intent to dominate and that’s exactly what we did. That’s what happened.”
Winning the Public League championship was the ultimate goal, but Paulin was just as pleased with the way his team fared while matching up with some of the better teams in the Catholic League. The result wasn’t what he was hoping for, but the effort was there.
“I love going to districts, it gives us a chance to wrestle teams we never would wrestle,” Paulin said. “We get to test ourselves. Most of the time, we wrestle Public League and some prep schools. Now we have a chance to wrestle Catholic schools and just go out on our own in these matches, it’s something good. I love it.”
The battles against Prep and La Salle will only help this team, not just this year, but for next year and beyond.
“I am the captain of the team, so I guess my role is to keep my teammates from not being focused, make sure everyone is on the same page and focused,” Paulin said. “Help them stay focused, run the practice, I’m there to help anyone who needs help. I’m that person where if you need help, come ask me and I’ll take time.
“I was really proud how we wrestled in the championship and districts. We have to make sure they’re ready after this year. For sure, I had it. There were multiple seniors who did that for me. It’s only right I do it for the new generation with the new freshmen that come in.”
Paulin has the Vikings in the right direction.
But now he’s turning his attention to wrestling in individual tournaments.
He’s also finished up performing in the school’s multicultural show.
“We did like a dance thing, it’s an activity where you show off your culture with a dance and it’s fun,” Paulin said. “I’m Haitian, so there’s a lot to do with that. It makes me proud, after the performance, it was amazing. We performed extremely well and I’m really grateful for that. I would say dance is harder to do than wrestling. Wrestling, I’m used to it. I’m used to doing it in front of a decent-size crowd. It’s new territory to me. It was well over 1,500 people watching so the nerves were there.”
He’s also looking toward the future.
“Next year, I’m going to college, not sure where exactly,” Paulin said. “My plan is to go into business and figure it out from there. I’m not 100 percent sure about wrestling. I feel like college, with the workload and everything in general in my life, I’m not sure if wrestling could be my No. 1 priority unless I get a scholarship. I’ll have to work, but if I get a scholarship, I’d love to wrestle.”
