RallyNorth.net

Pelham Pythons Wrestling '16-'17

Sat, Feb 25, 2017 09:00 AM @ Timberlane
Team Final
at Timberlane 1
Londonderry 0
Pelham 0
Pinkerton 0
Salem 0
Windham 0

Owls make it 14 straight MOC titles

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NASHUA — “Are you ready to wrestle?”

That’s a common question among coaches prior to matches and often before an entire tournament. It’s also one that Timberlane answered with an emphatic “Yes!” Saturday at the Meet of Champions.

While winning their 14th straight MOC crown, the Owls won 20 of their first 21 matches to zoom to a commanding lead, placed a whopping 10 wrestlers in the finals, crowned five champions and advanced 12 wrestler’s to next weekend’s New England Tournament in Providence.

“It was just an unbelievable way to start the tournament,” said Timberlane coach Barry Chooljian. “The kids were really prepared for this.”

Placing first in their weight class for the Owls were Barret Kappler (106), Connor McGonagle (126), Dylan Tremblay (170), Ryan Cole (220) and Noah Beaulieu (285).

Since the meet started with the 138-pound class, Tremblay’s title was the first of the day for the Owls and one of the most impressive. Trailing Manchester Central’s tenacious Ibragim Arsakhanov 3-1 in the final 30 seconds, he got an escape, takedown and two back points to register a dramatic 6-4 decision.

“It feels awesome — I knew time was running out and I had to do something,” said Tremblay, who improved to 40-4 on the season.

Said Chooljian: “Talk about digging deep. You often need late heroics in the finals and he had it.”

Another Owl who dug deep was Kappler, who has often struggled to make weight and failed to make the Division 1 finals a week earlier. He gained revenge on Salem’s Matt Adams, 11-7, in the quarterfinals, then had a major decision and capped off the tourney with a pin in the finals.

“Finishing third last week was definitely not something I wanted,” said Kappler. “But this is a bigger tournament.”

Of the other Timberlane titles:

Cole, who hadn’t won any tournament before last week’s Div. 1 crown, made it two in a row, following a 3-2 semifinal decision with a pin in the finals.

Beaulieu started the tourney with a pin and then used his conservative style to record three straight decisions.

McGonagle defeated Alvirne’s Nick Milinazzo in the finals, 7-1, for the second straight week. Milinazzo was a defending All-State champ, but McGonagle was in command all the way and improved to 43-2 with his second straight All-State title.

Finishing second for the Owls were Taylor Donovan (113), Dylan Musgrove (120), Cody Lewis (138) and Brandon Berube (152).

Joining the finalists at New England for the Owls will be 145-pounder Justin Berube, who earned a tough 2-1 decision in the consolation finals of one of the toughest weight classes and 132-pounder Casey Broadhurst, who capped the day with a major decision in the consolation finals.

CABINTA REPEATS

Salem sophomore Tristen Cabinta made an impressive showing while winning the 145-pound title for his second straight MOC title. He looked possessed in the finals, controlling Nashua North’s Wayne Nolette, 9-2, from the start. Nolette, who slipped past Justin Berube 6-4 in the semifinals, was also a defending MOC champ.

Cabinta returns to New England with a 40-2 record and will be joined there by Adams, who had an 8-5 decision in the 106-pound consolation finals.

TERRIFIC TANGUAY

Windham’s Mike Tanguay didn’t even place at the Meet of Champions as a junior, but Saturday he was one of the more impressive champions.

Starting the tournament off with a 41-second pin, he finished by defeating Timberlane’s Jake Post for the second straight week, 6-4 in the finals. The score was tied 0-0 after two periods but Tanguay took command in the third frame to improve his record to a gaudy 49-2.

“After I held Post down in the first period, I thought I’d win,” said Tanguay. “This took a lot of hard work and desire to be a state and all-state champ and hopefully a New England placer.”

Jaguars joining Tanguay at New England will be 113-pounder Ryan Millette, who won a dramatic 8-6 decision in the consolation finals, and 126-pounder Vinnie Marino, who had a pin for third place.

OUTSTANDING CHASE

No wrestler has improved more in the second half of the season than Londonderry’s Andrew Chase. The 152-pound senior won the Division 1 title a week earlier and was even more impressive Saturday at the MOC.

After recording a third-period pin in his first match, he took a 15-0 technical fall in the semifinals and then, leading 5-4, put Timberlane’s Brandon Berube on his back in the second period.

His performance made Chase a near unanimous choice as tourney Outstanding Wrestler. He will take a 35-8 record to New England.

Game Statistics:

Meet of Champions

Top 10 team scores (36 teams): Timberlane 298, Concord 176, Windham 102, Pinkerton 86, Plymouth 83, Merrimack 76, Londonderry 74 1/2, Nashua South 65, Bedford 64, Salem 63

Winners and local NE qualifiers (top 3, 4th alternate):

106: 1. Barret Kappler (Tim), 3. Matt Adams (Sal); 113: 1. Jonathan Austin (White Mountains), 2. Taylor Donovan (Tim), 3. Riley Millette (Wind); 120: 1. Jac St. Jean (Goffstown), 2. Dylan Musgrave (Tim); 126: 1. Connor McGonagle (Tim), 3. Vinnie Marino (Wind);

132: 1. A.J. Pagliarulo (Bedford), 3. Casey Broadhurst (Tim); 138: 1. Brian Lindsay (Kingswood), 2. Cody Lewis (Tim); 145: 1. Tristen Cabinta (Sal), 3. Justin Berube (Tim); 152: 1. Andrew Chase (Lond), 2. Brandon Berube (Tim); 160: 1. Tyler Sharron (Newport); 170: 1. Dylan Tremblay (Tim);

182: 1. George Tarwo (Concord), 3. Sterling McLaughlin (Pink); 195: 1. Mike Tanguay (Wind), 2. Jake Post (Tim); 220: 1. Ryan Cole (Tim), 3. Robert Fahey (Pink); HVY: 1. Noah Beaulieu (Tim)

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