Nick Genin strips off his warmups and takes his place on the mat. In this match—his first of three on the day—he is wrestling an opponent from Melrose. But the result is never really in doubt. The Newton South junior outmaneuvers and overpowers his opponent, just like he has done to nearly all other wrestlers in the 150 lb. weight class this season. Toward the end of the first period, Genin flips the wrestler, rolls on top and pins him to the mat. The referee blows his whistle. The match ends. Genin’s hand is raised in victory.

Genin will take the mat again an hour later, this time against a wrestler from Tewksbury. The end result will be the same: a victory. In this match, Genin will rack up a large enough lead that the match is declared over before the end of the third period (a victory known as a “tech fall”). In his third match, Genin will pin a wrestler from Plymouth North.

It’s just another day for Genin, who has emerged as one of the top wrestlers in Massachusetts.

“I know I’m the best in the weight,” says Genin. “I think there are a lot of good guys, but I know I’m the best guy. I don’t care if I’m ranked 20th or 100th or 1st, I still know I’ll win.”

In December, Genin won the prestigious George Bossi Lowell Holiday Tournament, overcoming some of the best wrestlers in Massachusetts as well as an illness that almost kept him sidelined. He has done nothing but win since then. Genin spent weeks as the top-ranked wrestler in the state according to one local rankings system and is quickly approaching 100 victories for his high school career.

Genin’s strong record justifies his self-confidence. But he doesn’t dwell too much on results. Every match, whether a win or a loss, offers lessons for how to improve.

“When I have a bad performance I do get down on myself sometimes, but I realize that it’s an opportunity to work,” he says. “After either a loss or a win I just try to realize what I can learn. Because there’s always a place to get better, there’s always another step, and getting overly down about a loss rather than working on what I can do better is just detrimental.”

Genin began wrestling when he was eight years old, took a few years off, and then came back to it in eighth grade. At the time, he was also interested in mixed martial arts (MMA) and was taking Muay Thai lessons to prepare for that type of combat. But the more he wrestled, the more he liked it, and the more he wanted to improve in the discipline.

Now, as a captain of the team, he enjoys working with teammates who share his love of the sport, no matter what their record is.

This attitude is visible in between Genin’s matches. While most of his teammates are doing homework or scrolling through their phones while they wait for their turn in the spotlight, Genin stands at the corner of the wrestling mat, yelling encouragement. From time to time, he also demonstrates specific techniques that might give a Lion wrestler the upper hand on an opponent.

Genin shakes hands with a coach from Melrose following a match. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

“As a captain, I feel like my job is to make them better,” he says. “I know the kids that put in effort. I know the kids that seek improvement. I try to go to those people. Those wins and losses don’t matter.”

Matt McAndrew has coached Genin at Newton South for the past two seasons. He has enjoyed seeing the wrestler mature as a team leader this year.

“Tourney wins are good, but at the end of the day, a highlight is seeing him grow as a captain and a person,” says McAndrew. “He’s bringing the team together. He’s working on getting everyone in the program [to be] better.”

McAndrew believes that Genin’s success comes from a combination of attributes. First, there are his technical strengths, such as his elite ability to use his hands to manipulate the opponent.

Then there is his mental game.

“Losses haunt a lot of kids,” says McAndrew. “Losses do not haunt Nick. He runs toward the difficult meets.”

As an example, McAndrew recalls Genin’s only loss this season. The wrestler had made it to the finals of a tournament in Winchester and was facing Leominster’s Dan Greaney.

On this day, though, Greaney got the upper hand, pinning Genin. McAndrew recalls that Genin was “so frustrated” in the immediate aftermath of his defeat. The coach pulled him aside. They discussed what happened and how Genin could learn from the defeat.

One week later, he was crowned champion at the Bossi tournament.

“It took him no time at all to learn from it,” says McAndrew.

Those tournaments are now in the rearview mirror. Ahead is the post-season. If Genin places high enough in the all-state wrestling tournament, held on March 1 and 2 in Springfield, then he could earn a bid to Nationals.

How does he think the season will end for him?

“Who knows,” he says. A slight pause. “But I’m planning on winning everything.”