Wrestling teams ready for meet

Friday, February 17, 2012

There are 11 high school wrestling teams that compete in Division II, and it seems that almost have of them have a shot at winning Saturday’s division championship meet.

Milford went undefeated in dual meets this season. Bedford and Hollis Brookline are seen as teams with the most depth.

Goffstown is the defending champion and Winnacunnet is a team that was competitive in Division I before dropping down last season. And then there’s Merrimack, which might have an outside shot at finishing in the top four now that some wrestlers have returned from injury.

One thing is for sure – Saturday is going to be interesting. Wrestling is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at Merrimack High School.

“I think, no matter what, it’s going to be a battle and it’s going to be a close one when it comes down to it,” HB coach Brian Bumpus said.

There will be a change for this year’s meet, as wrestlers will grapple in a fifth-place match, with points being awarded for fifth and sixth place for the first time. Also, the top five will advance to the Meet of Champions on Feb. 25, one more than in previous years.

“It’ll be interesting to see who’s advantage that is,” Milford coach Dana Bourassa said.

“It gives guys extra motivation,” Merrimack coach Tim McMahon said. “Now guys who even just get to the semifinals, you’re going to at least be in the fifth-place match.”

McMahon has been encouraged by the return of some wrestlers who had missed part of the season. Three of those guys are senior captains Brandon Dine (126 pounds), Zach Cronin (132) and Elias Kim (145).

“They’re all back at full strength,” McMahon said. “Those guys could make or break us.”

Bedford is in a similar situation, having finally put together its complete lineup in the final weeks of the season. The Bulldogs are also led by their seniors – Eric Cooper (145), Erik Falkengren (195), Michael Galinat (182) and David Watts (132) – but coach Bob Benincasa thinks his whole lineup can contribute.

“I’m expecting to get a lot from all of the kids,” he said. “They all have the capability to win their matches and all can really improve our standing. Our four seniors, we’ll ride those guys and we’re looking for big things from them.”

While Milford was the best team in the division in dual meets, Bourassa doesn’t see his bunch as one of the favorites just because of that.

“There’s a huge difference between dual meets and tournament wrestling,” Bourassa said. “Dual meets, coaches have options and can get the matchups they want. In tournaments, you don’t have those options. In a bracket, you wrestle those people and it depends on the seeds.”

Milford will look to Joe Albina (170) and Andrew Bellantoni (285) to lead the way.

Bumpus will also be looking at his heavyweight, Zach Migneault, to give the Cavaliers a boost, along with Zach and Jake McPherson, Zach Jennings and Casey Quinn, last year’s division winner at 160.

“We’ve got a lot of seniors and they’ve had goals since they were freshmen,” Bumpus said. “Hopefully they can get those accomplished.”

Souhegan will look to Mitchell Ilacqua (113), Mike Olson (160), James Ewing (185), Cameron Crook (220) and Caleb Jackson for points, while Joshua Metivier (126), Patrick Morse (170) and Stephen Lichtenberg (195) will lead Alvirne.

The top five in each weight class will advance to the Meet of Champions, which will be held Feb. 25 at Londonderry High School.