Warriors have good numbers but will be young in 2015-16
JACK SPICER, a junior, returns to wrestle at the 106 weight class. Spicer finished second in the Div. 3 North Tournament and fourth in the Div. 3 state meet. (Donna Larsson File Photo)
Published in the December 11, 2015 edition.
By JIM SOUTHMAYD
WAKEFIELD — The Wakefield Memorial High wrestling team certainly has some big shoes to fill this winter, but the numbers are good which is encouraging. However, the 2015-16 edition of the Warriors are very young this year and it may take time for them to become contenders in the Middlesex League Freedom division and in the state meets at the end of the winter season.
Long time head coach Ross Ickes has 31 athletes on the team but lost two very good wrestlers with the graduation of Dan Wensley and Alex Kane.
That means Wakefield could be hard pressed to match last year’s overall record of 13-9-0 and 3-1-0 record in the division which gained the Warriors a share of the title with Burlington and Melrose.
“We’re very young. We had 12 seniors last year but only have four this year,” said Ickes. “None of the seniors will be competing this Saturday due to various reasons. We’re young. The numbers are good and we have depth at the lighter weights which is good. We could be a year ago or two away from contention like we have been.”
Kane is now wrestling at Daniel Webster and Wenlsey is competing at WPI where he excelled in the RIT Tournament at the 184 weight class last weekend.
The four seniors returning include captains Evan Gourville and Evan McGuire. Gourville, who was second in the Div. 3 North sectional meet, will compete at 170 while McGuire will wrestle at the 120 and 126 weight class.
Also returning are seniors Shannon Drager and Mike Lima. Drager competes at 120 and 126 while Lima is trying to make weight at 285.
Jack Spicer, a junior, returns at the 106 weight class where he finished second in the Div. 3 North sectional meet and fourth in the state a year ago.
Spicer is one of nine juniors on the roster. The rest of the juniors include Jacob Allen, Anthony Denham, Dan DiMeglio, Tom Hayes, Joe Marinaccio, Matt Murdocca, Ben Piercy and Bailey Ritter.
Allen returns to compete at the 120 weight class while Denham and DiMeglio are slated to compete at heavyweight.
Murdocca, Piercy and Marinaccio return to compete at the 145, 152 and 160 weight classes, respectively. Piercy was sixth in the North sectional last winter.
Hayes and Ritter are both in their first year with the team. Hayes will compete at 182 and Ritter is slated for the 152 and 160 weight classes.
The sophomore class has eight wrestlers with five returning wrestlers and three first-year 10th graders.
Aiden Coleman will wrestle at 195, while Jake Goodchild and Ryan Smith will compete at 138. Also back is Steve Mercurio to wrestle at the 182 weight class. Chris Alves will compete at the lightweights at 106 and 113.
Kendall Hittolb, Mike Melito and Kevin Tran are all new to the squad. Hittolb will compete at 126 and 132, Melito will wrestle at 220 and Tran will compete at the 138 weight class.
Wakefield has 10 freshmen on the roster, many of whom have experience having wrestled at the youth level.
They are Aidan Armstrong, Tristan Couglin, Dale Denham, Derek DiMascio, Ian Dures, Brandon Johnson, Pat Pierce, Anthony Tamagini, Sebastian Wallace and Mike Yirrell.
Armstrong will compete at 106, Coughlin will wrestle at 160, Denham will go at the 120 weight class, DiMascio and Dures will both wrestle at 195, Johnson will grapple at 126, Pierce will compete at 182, Tamagini will wrestle a 132, Wallace will go at 145 and Yirrell will grapple at 120.
Returning to assist Ickes are coaches Matt Manfredi, John Bosco, Anthony Lauria, Joe Lauria, Mike Petralia and Adam Russell. Jerry DoVale, a long time assistant with Ickes, has retired.
“I think the league is Melrose’s to lose,” said Ickes. “The schedule will be tough all the way. Our schedule isn’t as tough as last year but it is still pretty tough. The kids are working hard.”
Wakefield opens up the season tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. at Watertown High School when it has a double dual meet against Waltham and Carver.
