GUILDERLAND — During a wrestling match, coaches will shout out unique phrases that may be confusing to people who aren’t well versed in the sport. After hearing Guilderland Head Coach Don Favro exclaim “face ride that” multiple times last Thursday, The Enterprise decided to explore the lingo of wrestling.

Favro also said slogans like “football the head” and “switches all day” during Guilderland’s Senior Night against Ballston Spa.

A “face ride” is when a wrestler, who is on top, takes the forearm of the opponent from the same side, puts his right hand between the opponent’s legs, lifts up, and pushes forward.

“His face rides on the mat,” said senior Andy Cummings, who wrestles for the Dutchmen at 195 pounds. “His face really bounces and skids, and you lose a lot of skin on your face.”

Sounds brutal.

Cummings, who claims to have never been face ridden, said that it’s a very effective move even though many coaches don’t teach it.

“It’s just so aggressive,” added Guilderland senior Elijah Clemente of the face ride; he wrestles at 152 pounds. He said that Guilderland is a combative team that “tries to bring it to another level.”

With sectionals on the horizon, Favro says that this is the time of year when Guilderland picks up the pace. “We feel like we’re in better shape for more offense, more motion, more attacks — we’re not going to get tired.”

When one wrestler is standing up on another and has him trapped, lifting him up and slamming him down, that is called a “hard pop return.” Clemente said that it’s a good way to “break” the opponent.

Sometimes, a wrestler will allow his opponent to stand up just so he can take him back down, Cummings said. “Popping him back down takes away any pride or happiness that he might have gained from getting up,” he added.

Across the board in athletics, Favro said, a broken athlete is anyone who has lost his competitive edge because of these variables: something hurts, he can’t breath, or he feels dominated in positions where he is usually strong.

“You can make that happen to someone if you’re in better shape,” he said.

_{Headlock: The Guilderland wrestling team won seven of 11 matches against Ballston Spa during Senior Night last Thursday. Here, Kevin Ochs puts the Scotties’ Wyatt Gorman in a headlock during the 132-pound match; Ochs won, 9 to 0. The Enterprise — Jordan J. Michael}

Wrestling is physically demanding, but a shattered mentality can also have a huge affect.

“It’s where the guy stops thinking about wrestling and starts wanting to fight you,” Cummings said. “That’s when he stops doing well, getting sloppy, and that’s where we capitalize.”

With a head in the ribs, a “blast double” is when a wrestler grabs the legs of his opponent, head-butting him in the sternum while pulling on his legs. It’s like a football tackle, and Cummings said that he tries to complete that move during every match.

Clemente didn’t get to hit a “cross face cradle” against Ballston Spa, which is a very tight hold where a wrestler jacks his arm across his opponent’s face, locking around the arm, and extending the body out with his leg. Anyone who succumbs to this will have trouble breathing.

“He [Clemente] made me cry in 10^th grade with that move,” said Cummings, who vows to be Guilderland’s most aggressive combatant.

“Lots of the time, I’ll come out of a match with lost skin from really getting my head in there and not caring if I get head butted,” Cummings went on. “I get yelled at by Coach for being too aggressive; he says I need to slow down and let the other guy mess up. It’s a curse and a blessing because I want to kill the guy and get points, but I waste a lot of energy.”

Clemente is the opposite of Cummings, he says, taking a match more slowly to be able to feel it out and think before he acts. “I really look for my opportunities,” he said. “I try to stay one step ahead.”

Favro said that some wrestling jargon can sound really bad. Whatever he’s calling out for depends on who is wrestling. By now, he knows the individual strengths of everyone on his team.

“Cummings has a great double leg, so I’ll call for that whenever his opponent is reaching,” said Favro. [Sean] Hourihan likes the fireman’s carry, and he hit that tonight. And Clemente, he cradles everybody.”

Each Dutch wrestler has his own style, but Clemente told The Enterprise that everyone on the Guilderland team is taught to have a switch.

“In general, we’re nice guys, and I’m a pacifist,” Clemente said before being interrupted by Cummings.

“But then we’ll kill you on the mat,” he concluded.

_{Under the bridge: Wrestling against Guilderland’s Nate Vargas, front, Ballston Spa’s Corey LaQue goes into a back bridge during the 138-pound match last Thursday. Vargas won the match, 13 to 6. The Enterprise — Jordan J. Michael}

Guilderland lost to Ballston Spa, 42 to 22, forfeiting 18 points for empty weight classes at 285, 99, and 106 pounds. The Dutchmen won seven of 11 matches, but Ballston Spa got four pins for 24 points. Here are the results:

— 145 pounds: Jake Cook (Ballston Spa) pinned Joshua Caricchio (Guilderland);

— 152 pounds: Elijah Clemente (Guilderland) won over Eric Howe (Ballston Spa), 6-3;

— 160 pounds: Tyler Barnes (Ballston Spa) pinned Tim Churra (Guilderland);

— 170 pounds: Sean Hourihan (Guilderland) won over William Mather (Ballston Spa), 3-2;

— 182 pounds: James Overocker (Ballston Spa) pinned Jason Falvo (Guilderland);

— 195 pounds: Andy Cummings (Guilderland) won over Garreck Golish (Ballston Spa), 9-2;

— 220 pounds: Jake Lohaus (Ballston Spa) pinned Ormondo Turner (Guilderland);

— 120 pounds: David Wolanski (Guilderland) won over William Gorman (Ballston Spa), 5-2;

— 126 pounds: Patrick McLaughlin (Guilderland) won over Chris Northrup (Ballston Spa), 10-4;

— 132 pounds: Kevin Ochs (Guilderland) won over Wyatt Gorman (Ballston Spa), 9-0; and

— 138 pounds: Nathan Vargas (Guilderland) won over Corey LaQue (Ballston Spa), 13-6.