|
Wrestlers Connolly, Alfano, Forte
medal in State Tournament
The Bulldog
wrestling team came home with three medalists from the MIAA
Division III State Tournament held at Cohasset High School on
Friday and Saturday. Senior Will Alfano placed third at the
140-pound weight class; fellow senior Kyle Forte took a fourth
at the 112-pound weight class while junior Kevin Connolly came
in sixth at 125 pounds.
“We qualified
eight wrestlers and we were optimistic in our chances in
bringing home some medals,” coach Tom Bartosek said. “This was
definitely an outstanding performance for our team.”
Alfano went
4-1 with three pins, with his only loss by decision to the
eventual champion.
“Will peaked
at the right time,” coach Brian Caffelle said. “He lost a few
matches earlier in the year that he is winning now. His
‘crab-ride’ has opened up his offense for more pins and near
fall points. The hard work definitely paid off.”
Forte’s
fourth-place finish was the result of pins in the first two
rounds. His 3-2 record at the State Tournament solidified his
record as being one of the top lightweights ever to wrestle for
Canton.
Although
Connolly was in a tough bracket, he wrestled tough. “It was good
for him to experience states as only a junior,” coach Aaron Mann
said. “We were confident that he would medal.”
Senior Donovan
Lewis finished in the top eight in the state by going 2-1 on
Friday. Because of an injury, however, he was unable to resume
wrestling on Saturday.
“Donovan’s
last match was a triple overtime pin over Hunt from Josiah
Quincy HS,” coach Sean Rockwell said. “The third round is the
round that determines if you place, and each match is a battle
to the end. Donovan dug deep to pull out the win to place. No
one is going to beat him in a close match.”
Seniors Billy
Rothkopf (119) and Tyler Matt (189) had individual victories at
the State Tournament.
“We’re sad
when a senior’s wrestling career is finally over,” Bartosek
said. “Both Billy and Tyler had big wins at states, but the
competition is really deep this year. We were fortunate to have
them wrestle for us.”
Freshman Ian
Mills (103) competed in his first state tournament.
“We’re
surprised at how fast Ian developed this year,” Caffelle said.
“We have a deep and talented freshman class and Ian is a prime
example. He had two tough matches, but he handled himself well
under the pressure of such a big tournament. Ian and his brother
Craig are very competitive and they don’t like to lose. This
experience will only help him when he wrestles at states in the
future.”
Alfano, Forte
and Connolly will be competing in the All-State tournament,
which will be held at Salem High School on Friday and Saturday.
February 25, 2010
Return
to Past Articles Page
|
