Going for a ride

Friday, December 9, 2011

Joe Marchilena photo Merrimack's Brandon Dine brings down Bedford's Ben Gilman.

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Joe Marchilena photo Merrimack's Ben Cronin tries to get out of the grasp of Bedford's Ben Down Wednesday during a dual meet. Cronin ended up winning the 106-pound match 16-9, but Bedford won the meet 45-33.

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Joe Marchilena photo Bedford's Michael Galinat takes control of the 182-pound match against Merrimack's RJ Content Wednesday during a dual meet at Bedford High School. Galinat won the match 9-4 and Bedford won the meet 45-33.

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Joe Marchilena photo Merrimack wrestling coach Tim McMahon watches Wednesday's dual meet against Bedford.

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Joe Marchilena photo Merrimack's Shane Newman tries to get away from Bedford's Eric Cooper.

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Joe Marchilena photo Merrimack's RJ Content tries to bring down Bedford's Michael Galinat.

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Joe Marchilena photo Merrimack's Brandon Dine brings down Bedford's Ben Gilman.

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Robert Benincasa wasn’t entirely sure what he was going to get from his Bedford High School wrestling Wednesday when it opened its season with a dual meet against Merrimack.

That included the 285-pound match, where the Bulldogs sent out sophomore Robert Lamy to face Merrimack’s Nick Klaver.

Klaver held a size advantage and had the upperhand early on the match, but Lamy found a way to reverse fortunes and took the match by fall. The win proved to be pivotal, as Bedford went on to a 45-33 win over Merrimack in the meet between Division II teams.

“We didn’t know how we were going to match up because heavyweight is such a range,” Benincasa said. “Our guy, boy, did he come out on fire and shocked everybody in the gym. He shocked me and I’m sure that Merrimack was shocked. What a turnaround in the match that was. I think that was a pivotal part of the meet, was Robert Lamy coming out and getting an unexpected pin against a bigger guy. It was inspirational.”

The Bulldogs also got pins from Robert Bernard (160), Erik Falkengren (195), Colin Perras (113) and Eric Cooper (145). Michael Galinat also turned in a 9-4 win over Merrimack’s RJ Content at 182.

The Tomahawks got wins from Zack Pickard (220), Ben Cronin (106), Brandon Dine (126), Zach Cronin (138) and Kyle Mercer (152), but a few mistakes and forfeits ended up costing Merrimack the meet.

“Of the guys that went out there and wrestled, I was pretty impressed,” Merrimack coach Tim McMahon said. “We made a couple of mistakes here and there, but they are fixable mistakes.”

One of those proved costly during the 285 match. Klaver had control of the match, but misplaced his hand when trying make a moved and Lamy took advantage, changing the course of the match.

“He had him exactly the way he should have, and we do it everyday, we always tell the guys to grab the ankle when they come around,” McMahon said. “He came around and grabbed the guy’s waist. That’s something we work on all the time. When he came off the mat, we asked him what he did and he said ‘I grabbed the guy around the waist.’ It was a great example for the other guys.”

The win gave the Bulldogs a lift, as did Bernard’s win in the first match of the day. The Bedford junior pinned Merrimack’s Josh Tevepaugh at 3:47 of the 160 match.

“He started if off with a pin and got it going in the right direction,” Benincasa said. “It’s better for the kids who are behind the first guy. He goes out and takes care of it, they start feeling better about it.”

With the Bulldogs unsure of what to expect going into the meet, getting on an early role was what they needed.

“It’s a fantastic way to start the season,” Benincasa said. “We were trying to figure out where we stood and how good we could be or where we’re at. We really came out and showed we’re in good position to do well for the rest of the year. Our guys showed they are in shape and they wrestled hard. Some came up with a loss, but they still went hard. Nothing was given out tonight and we’re happy about that type of performance.”

For McMahon, the loss wasn’t anything for his team to panic over, and he feels the Tomahawks are heading in the right direction.

“I saw about what I expected,” he said. “It gave us a good idea of what we haven’t covered yet in practice. We’re pretty young and it was obvious in places, but it was stuff we haven’t covered yet. I think the seniors have really, they’ve all been decent the last couple of years, but we’ve really been looking for those guys to take the next step. So far, I think they have. They’re leading by example and working their butts off in practice. I think they’re going to be OK this season.”

Both teams return to action on Saturday, as Bedford will host Manchester Central and Merrimack will head to Timberlane for a quad meet.