The seeds for success were sown last year when St. Sebastian’s checked in with an impressive 10-4 season.

The Arrows have taken that success and gone to the next level.

St. Sebastian’s has opened the season by going 11-2, the losses at the hands of undefeated ISL power Belmont Hill and a one-loss Roxbury Latin squad. This is precisely what head coach Matt Willey envisioned in the preseason.

“I thought coming in that we were going to be a much better team,” said Willey, who took over as head coach four years ago. “We had some good guys coming back and we’ve had other guys step up.”

Wrestling has always been in Willey’s DNA. He wrestled for Kevin Cummings at Arlington and later returned as an assistant coach.

“Pretty much everything I do as a coach comes from (Cummings),” Willey said. “I just learned so much from him in my time there as a wrestler and as a coach.”

Willey played club lacrosse at UMass, then earned his master’s degree at the University of Hawaii. Hawaii might be paradise to some, but it wasn’t home for Willey and he returned to Massachusetts six years ago.

He joined St. Sebastian’s in 2018 as a middle school teacher as well as the wrestling coach. The climb towards the top is still a few steps away, but the Arrows are clearly trending in the right direction as the 11-2 start represents the best in the school’s 14-year history as a sport.

The strength of the team lies in the upper weights. Landon Bailey captured the Tabor Tournament at 215 pounds and entered the week undefeated as did heavyweight Quincy Pickett, a Boston Herald All-Scholastic selection.

In addition to Bailey’s effort at the Tabor Tournament, other Arrows who placed included Seamus McDonough (third at 157 pounds), Nolan Wishart (sixth at 138), Jack Usechek (sixth at 132), Eddie Zhang (fourth at 126) and Luis Espinal (sixth at 120), Usechek and Wishart are eighth graders and Willey hasn’t batted an eye throwing them into the varsity waters.

“I would never put them out there if I had any concerns,” Willey said. “They’re both very skilled wrestlers who are used to wrestling older guys now. Every week we have a wrestle off and they’ve proven that they belong in the lineup.”

A lineup making history every single day.

Brady Bekkenhuis could have been spending the winter months grabbing rebounds for the Arlington basketball team. Instead, the freshman decided to take his 6-foot-5, 273-pound physique and trot down to The Pit to become a member of the school’s wrestling program.

Because of his size, Bekkenhuis usually winds up wrestling against heavyweights several years older. Bekkenhuis is not overmatched as evidenced by his 18-6 record.

“I’ve never worried about the age thing.” Bekkenhuis said. “I just go out there and try to do my thing. It is a tough sport but I really enjoy it and it’s helping me get better for football.”

Longtime head coach Kevin Cummings had an eye on Bekkenhuis ever since he arrived at the Ottoson Middle School. One never knows for sure what athletic paths a student/athlete decided to embark on when he gets to high school, but Cummings was optimistic Bekkenhuis would eventually opt for a singlet.

“We knew that Brady had an interest in wrestling early on,” Cummings said. “I think what really as well helped was the fact that we have 20 freshmen on the team and he’s friends with a lot of them.”

Like any first-year varsity wrestler, Bekkenhuis has had his ups and downs, but Cummings sees the progress on a daily basis.

“Brady is a big, athletic kid who is getting better with each week,” Cummings said. “His compete level is very good. He lost a match last week that, a month ago, he probably got pinned.”

The progress is due in large part to the work Bekkenhuis puts in on a daily basis. Cummings has brought in several alumni to train with him, including former state champion Dennis Cha.

“The big thing that’s helped me as the season has gone on is my stamina and my knowledge of the sport,” Bekkenhuis said. “It’s a unique sport in that it is you vs. you – you’ll get what you put into it.”

If you have any tidbits or story ideas, please don’t hesitate to reach out at donato.ventura@bostonherald.com