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Wrestling: South Plainfield ceremony will honor former teammate who tragically drowned

Greg Tufaro
@GregTufaro

The South Plainfield High School wrestling team will pay tribute to former teammate Sarmad Rizvi prior to a home dual meet with Caldwell on Tuesday night.

Former South Plainfield High School wrestler Sarmad Rizvi, 17, poses for a picture on Aug. 26, 2014.

Rizvi drowned after a rip current swept him underwater and carried him out to sea during an Aug. 27 outing at Sandy Hook with relatives. He would have competed this season as a senior for the perennial power Tigers, who are currently ranked No. 19 in the state.

South Plainfield head coach Kevin McCann said he expects at least a dozen of Rizvi's family members to attend the dual meet.

During a ceremony prior to the opening toss, the Tigers will make a special presentation to Rizvi'z family.

"It's going to be an emotional day, to say the least, but we want to let them know that he was part of our family and we miss him," McCann said.

Jordan Handwerger, one of South Plainfield's team captains, said the ceremony will "help bring closure."

"I think it's important for a lot of the guys," Handwerger said. "He was a close friend of ours on the team. He was always in high spirits."

"We are almost like a roller coaster this season," McCann said. "We have some good days and bad days. We've got to be able to work through the emotions and put together a complete match (against Caldwell)."

McCann said his wrestlers are still dealing with emotions following Rizvi's tragic death.

"It's definitely tough," he said. "I think some handle it better than others. Sarmad would want these guys to go on loving and doing what they are doing. He would have wanted us to go on wrestling and to accomplish some big things."

McCann said he did not want the Tigers to necessarily dedicate the season to Rizvi for the simple reason that if South Plainfield fell short of its goals – which include winning a state championship – "you feel like you let him down."

"If you do that (dedicate the season), it puts a lot of pressure on the team," McCann said. "Then what happens if we don't accomplish our goals? We know what he would have wanted. We know he's always watching over us."

The Tigers have worn specially designed black armbands over their warm-ups and specially designed T-shirts over their singlets to honor Rizvi before matches throughout the season.

A warm-up jersey and armband, Thursday, December 18, 2014, that will be worn by South Plainfield wrestlers as a tribute to teammate Sarmad Rizvi, who drowned on August 29 at Sandy Hook. Jason Towlen/Staff Photographer

The armbands and T-shirts each bear the same circle-shaped logo which McCann and his wrestlers created in Rizvi's honor. The logo incorporates the school's green, black and white colors. It bears Rizvi's initials along with the years of his birth and death. His name appears at the top of the circle beneath the school's moniker. The words "never forgotten" appear at the bottom of the circle atop the word "wrestling."

"We are thinking of him before the match," Handwerger said, "and going out there for him."