Adrian, Herbert, Macintosh earn gold

Published February 15, 2019

By JENNIFER GENTILE

MELROSE—A large crowd packed the Melrose Middle School gym on Saturday to watch the Red Raiders become D3N Sectional silver medalists at the Div. 3 North Finals, when they placed second among thirteen teams competing.   

Melrose crowned three sectional champs: Hunter Adrian in the 113 weight class, Steven Macintosh in the 145 weight class and Sean Herbert in the 152lb. The trio continues a steamrolling train towards state titles. 

As a team, Melrose placed second behind rival Wakefield, who earned first place with 190 points (to Melrose’s 162). 

It was also a very strong showing for Melrose senior Jackson Curran, who earned silver in the in the 220 while Victor Rodriguez had an excellent day, placing third in the 160. Mical Duntin also found the podium, 6th in the 195. 

STEVEN MACINTOSH swept the field in the 145 and was crowned Sectional Champ at the D3N Finals at Melrose High on Saturday. (courtesy photo)

Melrose’s newcomers also placed, with freshman Shea Fogarty earning 5th in the 138, Sean Thomas 6th in the 106 and Jake Petitpas 5th in the 120.

It was another big sweep for undefeated Adrian and Herbert. The junior Adrian is an astounding 43-0 in the 113 (93 consecutive overall) and is a lock to repeat not only as Div. 3 State Champ, but also as All-State and New England Champion (for his third time). On Saturday, he topped Trey Aulson of Georgetown for victory. 

The same can be said for the junior Herbert, last year’s State Champ in the 138, who at 152 pounds, has blanked opponents with a 31-0 record. In the finals, he prevailed in a 3-1 decision over Chase Anestis of Bedford. 

MacIntosh is wrestling at his peak now, evident in his performance on Saturday when he was named “Outstanding Wrestler” for the day, with the distinction of earning the least amount of time before pins. That includes his gold-winning 5-second pin over Chris Legacy of Pentucket in finals. 

Overall, it has been another incredibly successful season for Melrose, who finished last week with a 17-6 dual-meet record. 

And there is more wrestling to come. This Friday and Saturday, Melrose will take part in the 2019 MIAA Div. 3 Finals held at Wakefield High.

Preliminary play will take place on Friday afternoon and evening, and those who advance will battle on Day 2, all day, at Charbonneau Field House at Wakefield High, where finals are expected to take place in the late afternoon. Look for contenders like Wakefield, Melrose, Wayland, Foxboro and Norton to be in the mix.