Brooklyn Technical High School

The sophomore feared he was too thin and frail to make it. But a friend convinced him otherwise, and Farfan came aboard.

The friend soon quit, but Farfan kept going. Three years later, Farfan, now a senior captain, is still on the team and helping to lead a renaissance at Brooklyn Tech. Suddenly, the Engineers are in contention to win the PSAL championship.

Fueled by what they perceive to be a lack of respect from opponents, Tech has ascended quickly up the ranks. They defeated a pair of established programs from their own borough, Grand Street and Madison, and captured first place in a hotly contested holiday tournament last month.

The Engineers showcased their depth on Friday at home, storming back to beat FDR, 37-36, and improving to 6-0 in the PSAL even though several wrestlers were competing outside of their normal weight classes.

The Engineers say they were snubbed the past two seasons when they were denied a spot in the PSAL Holiday Wrestling Invitational, the object of many teams' affection.  PSAL wrestling commissioner Larry Cantor, who created the holiday tournament, said there are so many teams that want to compete there that there's a waiting list.

When several Catholic schools were unable to attend because of scheduling conflicts last month, Cantor inserted Brooklyn Tech - with some apprehension, he said - unsure if the Engineers were up to the task.  The tourney field included 14 teams from the PSAL and CHSAA, as well as teams from Long Island and several private schools.  The Engineers responded by winning the tournament on Dec. 18 at Francis Lewis, edging second-place Grand Street, 169.5-168. Madison placed third with 133 points.

"I felt like Tech wasn't getting the respect that we deserved," said Matthew Torres, the Engineers' first-year coach. "I was happy that Larry Cantor gave us the opportunity. It gave us a chance to shine, to prove to people what kind of team we have here."

Trailing, 27-13, after eight matches on Friday, 135-pound junior Constantin Panagakos used a headlock to pin Amirjon Davlatov at 1:58 of the first period, igniting a five-match winning streak that put Tech ahead.

"I thought that was kind of a turning point for us," Panagakos said. "This was big for us, to come back and win. We knew they had a good team, but we didn't expect for them to come with such noise. This was a good test."

Farfan, who wrestled at 152 pounds, used an arm bar to pin FDR's Jonathan Jean Pierre in 58 seconds, putting the Engineers ahead for good, 31-27.  Tech's Simantov Yousoufov (140 pounds), Cristian Masaya (145) and Jed Bricker (160) also won their matches during the stretch.

The Engineers have grown quickly since their days as a developmental team that went 5-3 in 2007-08; last year, they finished 7-3. Sustained by Principal Randy Asher, who is passionate about the sport, and dedicated coaches in Torres and assistant Chris Lacarrubba, a former wrestler at traditionally tough High Point HS in New Jersey, the Engineers have adopted an around-the-year mindset. That dedication hasn't gone unnoticed.

"I've seen these kids in preseason tournaments, I've seen these kids at postseason tournaments, I've seen these kids at camps," Cantor said. "To be very good, you have to work at this sport 12 months a year.   I haven't seen just two kids from Brooklyn Tech wrestle throughout the year, I've seen a bunch of kids," the commissioner added. "That's the recipe for their success."