Newsday Athlete of the Week is Bellport's Camryn Howard

Camryn Howard has stepped up to the mat 25 times this season. Each time, he has left the mat as a winner.

That’s only the beginning of the story of Howard, an eighth-grade wrestler from Bellport who touts a 69-4 career record. Howard, Newsday’s Athlete of the Week, helped Bellport (13-3) defeat a Smithtown West team that was 5-0 in Suffolk IV.

Howard began wrestling when his father found a flyer that led him to the Bellport Youth Club. He enjoyed the sport, eventually finding himself as a seventh grader on the perennially strong Bellport wrestling team.

“Heading into the season, I didn’t really know what to expect,” Howard said. “I knew it would be tough having to wrestle a bunch of older guys, and I started the season with a tough loss.”

That loss came against West Babylon, a timestamp you could point to as the vehicle for a trip through Howard’s mind into how he handles defeat.

“It was a learning experience for him,” Clippers coach Chuck Maragioglio said. “And he used it as motivation.”

Day after day, Howard would join his fellow wrestlers Ethan Leidig and Tyler Mordente, alternating carpools as their parents drove to the high school for practice. Howard went undefeated in Suffolk for the rest of the season after that loss, culminating in the Suffolk Division I title for the 126-pound weight class before finishing eighth in the state tournament.

But what separates Howard — who now wrestles in the 138-pound weight class — from others is his mindset.

“He doesn’t get too high or low,” Maragioglio said. “ . . . I’ve been around kids who lose matches and think it’s the end of the world. For him, it’s just part of the process and he understands that bigger picture.”

Howard will have a bright future on the mat but the same could be said off of it. He also plays the cello, a side passion of his that he plans to continue in high school. You could catch him learning or listening to his favorite song, “Swashbuckler Saga,” by Chris Thomas.

All along the way, you’ll see a cheerful athlete who believes in his teammates as much as he believes in himself.

“Our whole team — even a lot of the (junior varsity) guys — have been friends for years now, since elementary school,” Howard said. “I think it really helps, especially when we’re in a hard duel meet and someone gets a penalty. Everyone starts cheering, and everyone really starts to lock in, knowing they need to perform their best to get the win.”

This is just a chapter in Howard’s journey, both as a person and as a wrestler. And the ending to this one — whether that’s another league title or more — will just set up an even more exciting chapter in the pages to come.