Warrior wrestlers shine in prestigious tournament held at the Charbonneau Field House
ALEX KANE, a senior (right), captured the Div. 3 state title at the 220 weight class for the second time in three years with both competitions being held at the Charbonneau Field House. Kane defeated Frontier Regional’s Paul Soto (left) by major decision (17-4) in the semifinals. (Donna Larsson Photo)
WAKEFIELD — Not only did the Wakefield Memorial High wrestling team find itself well-represented at the Div. 3 state meet which was held at the Warriors’ home facility at the Charbonneau Field House but it also made the most of the home mat advantage as it crowned two Div. 3 state champions.
Senior captains Dan Wensley and Alex Kane each added accolades to their impressive wrestling resumes as they both were crowned the state champions at the 195 and 220 weight classes in the competition which was held on Friday and Saturday.
Wensley and Kane both went 4-0 and Kane is the first two-time state champ in WMHS history.
Wensley pinned both Quabbin Regional’s Stephen Tremblay and Sandwich’s Pat Sullivan at 53 seconds and 2:58. The senior then prevailed by major decision against Tri-County Voke’s Nick DePedro by an 8-0 score. In the final, Wensley pinned Scituate’s Noah Butcher at 1:54.
At 220, Kane pinned Nauset Regional’s Jake Colson at 5:00 in the first round. Kane then squeaked out a 3-2 decision over Quabbin Regional’s Charlie Pasternack. The senior then prevailed by major decision (17-4) over Frontier Regional’s Paul Soto. In the final, Kane pulled out a 5-4 decision over Granby’s Nolan Hodgins. The victory in the final was also avenged a loss Kane had to Hodgins on Jan. 3 as the Warrior senior lost by a 6-4 score.
DAN WENSLEY, a senior (right), captured the Div. 3 state title at the 195 weight class with the entire Div. 3 state tournament being held at the Charbonneau Field House. Wensley defeated Tri-County Voke’s Nick DePedro (left) by major decision in the semifinals. (Donna Larsson Photo)
It was the first time in WMHS history that Wakefield had two Warriors crowned division state champions and Kane is the first two-time state champ as he won the Div. 3 state championship two years ago with the competition also being at the Charbonneau Field House.
As a team, Wakefield finished eighth with 67 points. Somerset/Berkley won the Div. 3 state championship as a team with 100 and Dedham was second with 97.5 points.
In addition to Wensley and Kane advancing, sophomore Jack Spicer has also qualified for the All-State meet with a fourth place finish at the 106 weight class.
Spicer went 4-2 at 106 for his fourth place showing.
Spicer scored a victory by major decision (13-3) over Gateway Regional’s Brandon Daniels. The sophomore then dropped an 11-6 decision to Bristol-Plymouth Voke’s Justin Kelliher.
Spicer rebounded with three straight victories by decision. The sophomore blanked Pentucket’s Jacob Wengler, 5-0. He then defeated Sabis Charter’s Christian Garcia and Wayland’s Tommy Cope by the slimmest of margins, 6-5 and 7-6.
In his final match, Spicer lost by fall to South Hadley’s Isaiah Cannales at 2:47.
The Warriors had three more wrestlers compete in the meet. Seniors Connor Shine and Matt Yirrell competed at the 126 and 182 weight classes. Also junior Evan Gourville wrestled at 160. All three wrestlers went 0-2 to have their fine seasons come to an end.
Head Coach Ross Ickes also would like to thank all the parents and his entire coaching staff for their tireless efforts to help make this past weekend one of the best run state tournaments ever.
The All-State meet will be held on Friday and Saturday at Salem High School. Competition on Friday is slated to start at 3 p.m.
