By CHARLES GAGNE
WAKEFIELD — The Wakefield wrestling team has been nothing short of fantastic so far during the 2023-2024 season. The boys continued their impressive dominance last Wednesday night, as they took on Westford Academy at the Charbonneau Field House and came away the winners with a decisive score of 64-21.
The meet started with the 106-weight class in which Wakefield did not have a participant. Therefore Westford was rewarded with a 6-0 advantage off the bat. Wakefield quickly evened the score at 6, however, in the 113-weight class when Michael Barry performed a quick takedown in round one and, without hesitation, rolled his opponent over for a pin in under 30 seconds.
Next, Philip Valley, who had worked all week to make the 120-weight cut, put in a strong performance. He was taken down, put up a fight on the ground to avoid the pin temporarily but eventually was pinned to make the score 12-6 Westford.
Wakefield again wasted no time in evening the score, as Phillip’s brother Andrew Valley wrestled in the 126 slot and quickly grabbed his opponent’s legs to take him down early. Team captain Valley refused to let his opponent back up and was able to gain control of his arm, flip him over and hold him down for the pin.
Sophomore Aydin Lamb stepped up to the mat next for a match in the 132-weight class. He started off with a quick two-point takedown, but his opponent was able to break free and round one ended 2-1. Lamb came out ready for round two, as he dodged a shot and rotated on top of the Westford wrestler for two points, then turned him on to his back and pinned him to give Wakefield its first lead, 18-12.
CAPTAIN Zach Arria pins his Westford opponent in the 175 bout during Wakefield’s victory on Jan. 10. (Courtesy Photo)
The 138 match was definitely the most exciting of the night, as Jimmy Fabbri’s opponent took a quick lead, 4-2. Fabbri would not be denied, however, as he fought back and pulled off a strong takedown, avoiding his opponent’s grasp at the beginning of round two. The score was then 5-4. After this, the crowd energy went through the roof and Fabbri translated this into a quick takedown and huge pin. The whole Wakefield team was amped up after this thrilling match and Fabbri’s victory kept everyone going for the duration of the meet.
The next match in the 144-weight slot followed a similar course as Wakefield wrestler Jack Hodgdon initially went down 7-1, but, with a quick reversal, was able to pull off a pin and give Wakefield a commanding 30-12 lead.
Westford, however, hadn’t given up yet as their wrestler in the 150-weight class was able to pin Wakefield wrestler Christian DiFlorio who had given a valiant effort.
In the 157-weight class, team captain Sean Callanan fought a close round one, as he gained the lead 3-2. Callanan started off round two with a rapid surge of energy as he fought for a controlling position and was able to pull off a pin, making the overall score 36-18.
The next match in the 165-weight class featured freshman star Jaden Fullerton. Fullerton built up a good lead after the first two rounds with a takedown and some back points but was not satisfied. In round four, Fullerton earned a total of 4 takedowns for a final score of 13-4 in his match, earning four points for the team and bringing the overall score to 40-18.
Next up, senior captain Zach Arria wrestled in the 175-weight slot and was able to avoid a shot and get on top within 10 seconds. He didn’t think twice about pushing further as he rolled his opponent onto his back and pinned him within 40 seconds.
Westford still had some fight left, however. A very close match in the 190-weight class resulted in a near comeback for Wakefield wrestler, Ulysses Cullen, but the Westford wrestler ended up winning the match 9-4 to make the total score 52-21.
Wakefield’s heavyweights dominated next, as senior captain Joe LaMonica powerfully pinned his opponent within 30 seconds in the 215-weight class and his teammate Kip King also succeeded with an early takedown, which led to another first round pin for the Warriors.
When asked about how the team was able to pull off this win against a solid Westford squad, captain Arria stated, “Our win Thursday night means that we are listening to our coaches. Our coaches put time and effort into training us. We work hard together as a team. We win and lose as a team. We believe in each other and in the process. For our goals moving forward this year, we will strive to be better listeners, better teammates and better competitors. All of these things will help us moving forward in life and help myself as I continue to wrestle at Wakefield High and at the University of Southern Maine next year.”
This year’s Wakefield wrestling team is strong and determined and the boys are ready to face whatever challenges the future holds in these next couple of months.
Wakefield hosts Lynnfield/North Reading in their next dual meet tonight at 7 p.m.
