RallyNorth.net

WEST NEWBURY — Talk about lack of respect!
Not only was North Andover junior 135-pounder Jake Munroe unseeded in yesterday’s Pentucket Tournament, but his first name was listed incorrectly (as Jack) throughout the day.
Munroe should be more recognized in the future, however, as he rolled to the 135-pound title with three pins and a solid 9-3 decision in the finals over Pentucket’s Dan Dragon.
Munroe’s heroics helped North Andover tcapture its first non-league tournament crown in two years. The Knights compiled 163 points to defeat runner-up Roxbury Latin by 13 points. North Reading/Lynnfield was fourth in the 17-team field and Brooks was sixth.
North Andover had never entered a full varsity team at the Pentucket tourney, but veteran coach Dave Castricone thought this year was the perfect time to make a run at the title rather than knock heads at the rugged Lowell Holiday Tournament.
“With so many young guys, I thought it’d be good to get this kind of experience and maybe get some momentum for them,” said Castricone.
That thinking worked perfectly for Munroe, who had never even placed in a tournament before yesterday.
“I wasn’t expecting this, but it’s definitely a morale boost,” said Munroe, who entered the tournament with a 6-2 record. “I feel great about it.”
The Knights had two other champions in 145-pounder Sal Scali and 152-pounder Derek Timpe. They captured clutch one-point decisions in the finals against No. 1-seeded wrestlers.
Finishing third for North Andover were Brody Kelly (119) and Garrett Alter (160) while Jason Ricketts (112) and heavyweight Mike Miller both came in fourth.
North Reading/Lynnfield, which placed five wrestlers, was paced by 140-pound champion C.J. Venuto of North Reading. He improved his record to 12-1 on the year, recording three pins on the day, including one in the finals.
Brooks enjoyed a superb final round. Connor Duffey remained unbeated on the year, pinning his final three opponents to place first at 103, Mike O’Boyle followed three pins with a 12-3 major decision in the finals to take top honors at 119 and Haverhill’s Colin Lahiff prevailed at 160.
Wrestling up a weight, Lahiff got a takedown with eight seconds left to secure an exciting  4-3 decision over Souhegan’s rugged Tyler Lott.  Also for Brooks, Billy Walton was third at 152.
For Whittier, Pat Scheidegger looked sharp while winning the 215-pound title, following two first-period pins with a 10-4 decision in the finals. Pentucket had runners-up in Dragon and 145-pounder Austin Perreault and Ben Stasiuk battled back to third at 189.