McCullough finishes first in Cohasset Tournament

Published January 10, 2019

By DAN TOMASELLO

LYNNFIELD — The Lynnfield-North Reading co-operative wrestling team finished fifth in the Cohasset Tournament on Jan. 5.

The Black and Gold concluded the tournament with 116 points. Two grapplers finished first during the tournament, and eight wrestlers placed.

Captain Sean McCullough finished first in the 182 lb. weight class. He pinned a Plymouth North wrestler 15 seconds into the first round. During the semifinals, Sean defeated a Nauset grappler by fall at 1:38. He pinned Cohasset’s Joe Fox at 1:04 during the finals.

“Sean placed third as a freshman at this tournament before winning back-to-back championships,” said Black and Gold head coach Craig Stone.

Captain Tim Leggett finished first in the 132 lb. weight class. He began the tournament pinning a Wilmington grappler at 1:56 during the first round. In the semifinals, Leggett defeated a Plymouth North grappler by fall at 1:44. Leggett pinned Try-County’s Pat Griffin, a returning state place finisher, at 1:37 during the finals.

“Leggett has become the third wrestler in the history of the co-op to win all three season tournaments, Wakefield, Pentucket and Cohasset,” said Stone. “Previously, only Chris O’Connor in 2010 and Max Whyman in 2016 had won all three tournaments. Leggett has pinned his way through all three tournaments.”

Captain Stuart Glover (126 lbs.) placed in his third straight Cohasset Tournament after finishing third. He concluded the tournament with a 2-1 record.

Junior Brandon Ouellette placed in his first varsity tournament after finishing third in the 195 lb. weight class. He concluded the tournament with a 2-1 record.

Freshman Ryan McCullough finished fourth in the 145 lb. weight class after concluding the tournament with a 2-2 record. The fourth place finish marked the first time he has placed in a varsity wrestling tournament.

Junior Greg Camier finished fourth in the 220 lb. weight class after concluding the tournament with a 1-4 record. He placed sixth during last year’s tournament.

Sophomore Christian Real-Costa finished fifth in the 106 lb. weight class after concluding the tournament with a 1-2 record. He also placed in last year’s Cohasset Tournament.

Junior Gerry Callagy placed in his first varsity tournament after finishing sixth in the 170 lb. weight class. He went 1-3 during the tournament.

Stone was pleased with the Black and Gold’s performance during the Cohasset Tournament.

“We were able to place eight out of the 10 wrestlers we brought to the tournament,” said Stone. “Not competing in four weight classes hurt us with the team score, but the contribution from the wrestlers that did participate was very impressive.”

Falls to Triton

The Black and Gold (2-13) fell 48-34 to Triton on Jan. 3.

Real-Costa (106 lbs.) pinned his counterpart in 13 seconds, which was the fastest pin of the season. Glover (126 lbs.) improved his dual meet record to 11-4 after defeating his opponent by fall at 5:11. Leggett (132 lbs.) earned his 13th win of the season after pinning his counterpart in 38 seconds.

Sophomore Nik Marotta (160 lbs.) defeated his opponent by fall at 1:12. Sean McCullough (182 lbs.) improved his dual meet record to 15-0 after defeating his counterpart by a 13-2 major decision. Junior Greg Camier (285 lbs.) pinned his opponent at 4:54.

Stone noted the Black and Gold’s match against Triton “could have easily gone our way” as both teams won six matches. Unfortunately, the co-op team’s forfeits led to the Triton victory.

“Adversity leads to maturity,” said Stone. “We certainly have had our fair share this season, and we are better off because of it.”

Losses super quad

The Black dropped all four matches in a super quad meet against North Andover, Arlington, Greater Lawrence Tech and Beverly on Dec. 30.

The co-op team fell 53-24 to North Andover.

Leggett (138 lbs.) pinned his opponent at 3:05. Ryan McCullough (145 lbs.) defeated his counterpart by fall at 1:17. Senior captain Dylan Reardon (152 lbs.) pinned his opponent at 3:13. Sean McCullough (182 lbs.) brought his counterpart to the ground at 1:17.

“We began the day having to forfeit four weight classes,” said Stone. “North Andover is one of the top teams in the state. We won four out of the 10 matches we competed in, but North Andover returned too many many wrestlers from last year’s team.”

The Black and Gold fell 45-30 to Arlington.

Glover (126 lbs.) pinned his opponent at 45 seconds. Junior Chris Metrano (132 lbs.) defeated his counterpart by fall at 1:25. Marotta (160 lbs.) pinned his opponent at 1:48. Sean McCullough (182 lbs.) brought his counterpart to the ground in 17 seconds. Ouellette (195 lbs.) pinned his opponent at 1:03.

Stone said the Black and Gold had a 30-27 lead on the mat, but had to forfeit four weight classes that led to the 45-30 loss.

“Finding victory in defeat is often a challenge, however, we can find satisfaction in knowing this was a winnable match if we were at full strength,” said Stone.

The Black and Gold fell 42-30 to Greater Lawrence.

Leggett (138 lbs.) pinned his counterpart at 3:03. Ryan McCullough (152 lbs.) defeated his opponent by fall at 1:13. Sean McCullough (195 lbs.) pinned his opponent at 19 seconds. Glover (126 lbs.) and Ouellette (182 lbs.) won their respective matches by forfeit.

The Black and Gold fell 40-15 to Beverly during the tournament.

Glover (126 lbs.) won his match by a 9-2 decision. Leggett (138 lbs.) pinned his opponent at 1:20. Sean McCullough (182 lbs.) brought his opponent to the ground at 20 seconds.

“We took an early 9-6 after three weight classes, but Beverly had too much talent down the stretch,” said Stone.

Stone said there were a lot of positive takeaways from the super quad meet.

“Sean McCullough had a great day, with four pins under three minutes, while Glover and Leggett notched three wins apiece,” said Stone. “Ryan McCullough, just a freshman, had a two-win, two-pin day. Collectively, we are gaining valuable experience. We have a great work ethic, and there is a lot of energy and enthusiasm in the practice room. All these variables point toward continued improvement on a daily basis.”