K-ZONE WPKZ FM105.3/AM 1280

Your Hometown Radio

listen nowLISTEN NOW
listen nowLISTEN NOW
K-Zone Studio Line 978.348.1280

wrestling

Monty Tech grapplers gaining experience

by

Looking to showcase their talents while continuing to improve, four Monty Tech grapplers recently took part in the 1,000 Island Duals tournament in Clayton, New York, facing off with some top tier wrestlers not only from the east coast, but across the country with their club teams.

The 23rd iteration of the annual took place last weekend in the confines of the Clayton Cerow Arena, with 48 teams vying for titles.

Monty Tech’s Conor Fuller wrestled for New England Gold at heavyweight, while Sean Lyle wrestled at 113 for Doughboys B team. Isaiah Solomon and Cooper Weibe traveled with Doughboys, but helped fill spots for other teams missing spots at 160 and 126, respectively.

All had solid showings and earned great experience. Fuller went 3-2 with all wins by pin while his team took third in the blue division.

Cooper Weibe went 6-1, while Sean Lyle went 3-2 and Isaiah Solomon got some valuable experience on the mats.

“I’d really like to qualify for states this season. I think this experience helped me a lot,” Fuller said. “The more exposure I get, hopefully it will make me a better wrestler. Both stronger and more technical.”

Solomon says competing in tournaments such as the 1,000 Islands has opened his eyes to the level of talent he’d like to achieve and he’s been putting in some hard work over the summer.

“For this upcoming season I know competition is going to be a lot different and me going to these tournaments in the offseason and me putting in my time and effort in getting better will make me a better wrestler and overall a better mindset in what I’m doing and what I’m trying to accomplish,” he said. “I’m going to let my name be heard and I will become a state champion.”

Local notebook: Fitchburg’s Bate steps up at Meet of Champions

by

Regular seasons across all high school sports in the state are done.

And over the weekend, some of the area’s best and brightest stepped into bigger spotlights than any seen to this point in the winter season.

Look no further than Saturday’s Meet of Champions at the Reggie Lewis Center, which saw several local track and field standouts post strong performances amid the best of the best across all divisions in the commonwealth.

Coming up bigger than any other area athlete was Fitchburg High’s Stephen Bate, who qualified for the New England Track and Field Championship at the Reggie Lewis Center this upcoming weekend. The Red Raider senior placed third overall in the long jump, notching a leap of 21-7.5.

Nashoba Regional junior Adam Balewicz was eighth in the 2 mile (9:22.60), while teammate Gabriel Merrow was 22nd in the 300 (36.52).

Lunenburg senior Zach MacLure was fifth in the 600 (1:23.95) and was part of a 4×400 relay team that took fifth in 3:30.10. MacLure was joined by Chris Roy, Connor Martin and Tim Smith in breaking the school’s indoor 4×400 record.

Abby Rodriquenz finished 21st in the 1,000 (3:14.17) for the Blue Knights, while Carli Stanford was 22nd in the long jump (15-09.25), Alexa Jenkins took 24th in the shot put (30-03.5) and the 4×800 relay was 25th.

Leominster’s Diamani Canuto took 11th in the 300 (41.51) and 20th in the high jump (5-0).

Bulldogs, Blue Devils star on mats

Monty Tech’s Jonah Paulino was dominant at the All-State wrestling meet on Saturday, almost effortlessly winning the 132-pound title. He pulled out a 6-0 decision over Shawsheen Tech’s James Tildsley in the final to claim the title and earn a spot at the New England meet.

Fellow Bulldog Xaedyn Natal also qualified for the New England tourney after taking the runner-up spot at 145, while Faith Maldonado will compete at the girls New England tournament after placing second at 106 at the All-State meet.

Leominster High’s wrestling resurgence continued with several grapplers qualifying for the All-State meet, after three placed at the Division 1 state meet two weeks ago. Abby Muller had a strong showing at the girls All-State meet, taking fourth at 106 pounds on Saturday.

Two weeks ago, freshman Troy Greaney was the runner-up at the Division 1 meet at 145, while his twin brother Dan was seventh at 132 and sophomore Anthuan Lino-Diego (285) took sixth at the D1 meet. That trio competed at the All-State meet, but failed to place.

Bernardians nab girls hoops title

The St. Bernard's girls basketball team won the CMADA Class D title Saturday at Assumption University. (Courtesy St. Bernard's Athletics)
The St. Bernard’s girls basketball team won the CMADA Class D title Saturday at Assumption University. (Courtesy St. Bernard’s Athletics)

Before it kicks off its Division 5 state tournament run, the St. Bernard’s girls basketball team claimed the Central Mass. Athletic Directors Association Class D title with a 38-32 win over Whitinsville Christian on Saturday at Assumption University.

The Bernardian boys fell in the CMADA Class D final that same night, dropping 53-36 decision to Whitinsville Christian, also at Assumption.

Both St. B’s teams will be in action this week in the state tournament. The girls are seeded 16th and host No. 17 Franklin County Tech Thursday at 6 p.m. in the round of 32. The boys are the 26th seed in Division 5 and host No. 39 Old Colony RVT Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Monty Tech’s Paulino posts repeat performance

by

Winning a state wrestling title as an individual is a difficult task on its own. The odds are stacked against any one grappler.

It’s an even harder thing to defend. Anything can happen when trying to repeat: an injury, illness, others getting hot at the right time and stopping your momentum. A defending champion gets each and everyone’s best effort.

But for the elite, defending a title and well-earned reputation is what drives them.

Monty Tech’s Jonah Paulino joined the ranks of repeat champions last Saturday.

The Bulldogs’ standout wrestler stormed through the Division 2 state bracket at 132 pounds, repeating his run from a year ago when he won the D2 championship at 126 pounds.

Not only did he capture the title, but he did so in dominant fashion with pins in the round of 16, quarterfinals and finals and a blowout 8-1 decision in the semifinals. Paulino qualifies for the all-state tournament and will be joined by teammates Cooper Wiebe (fourth place at 120 pounds), Jeffrey Kidwell (fourth at 138), Xaedyn Natal (third at 145) and Gregory Lehmann (fifth at 160).

The Bulldogs were impressive as a team, as well, claiming fifth overall at the Division 2 tournament.

Nashoba Regional saw heavyweight Brody Flannery qualify for the all-state tournament after he took third in the Division 2 bracket, including multiple dominant wins and pins.

At the Division 1 tourney, Leominster continued to show why it is one of the most improved teams in Central Massachusetts, boasting a finalist at 145 pounds with Troy Greaney, as well as a sixth-place showing from Anthuan Lino-Diego at 285 pounds and a seventh-place finish from Dan Greaney at 132 pounds.

Troy Greaney and Lino-Diego qualify for the all-state tournament, while Dan Greaney is an alternate.

In Division 3, North Middlesex Regional impressed as it had all-state qualifiers as Noah Lake took fourth place at 120 and Mathew Piper did the same at 285.

Local wrestlers shine at sectional tourneys

by

Monty Tech has had the stamina of marathon runners when it comes to emotional endurance this season.

After Kieron Smith died not long before the season, the Bulldogs have pushed through the season in honor of their former coach. Over the weekend, the team cleared its latest hurdle, taking third place at the Division 2 West sectional tournament, with Cooper Wiebe (120 pounds) and Jonah Paulino (132) claiming individual titles.

“This season has been an emotional rollercoaster. I know Kieron would be proud of all the kids and talking about all the hard work they put in,” Monty Tech head coach Chris Godfrey.

Along with its champions, Monty Tech had second-place showings from Jeffrey Kidwell (138) and Xaedyn Natal (145) and third-place finishers in Gregory Lehmann (160) and Trevor Gendron (182).

David Lehmann (152) took fourth at 152 Daniel Kidwell was fifth at 182, giving the Bulldogs eight placewinners, seven state qualifiers and an alternate.

Nashoba Regional had an impressive showing from heavyweight Brody Flannery at the Division 2 West meet, with the grappler claiming second in a loaded weight class, including an upset of Hopkinton’s Justin Sokol before falling to Milford’s Hampton Kaye-Kutter, a returning All American.

Also placing for Nashoba Regional were Yeshua Guerrera and Daniel De Almeida, who each took fourth, qualifying for the state tournament at 160 and 170, respectively, while Taetum Cassella finished fifth at 182 pounds and is an alternate for the state tournament. Brenden Downey was sixth at 132 pounds.

At the Division 1 Central/West sectional, Leominster had a very impressive showing as it took third place as a team. The Blue Devils placed in 11 out of 14 weight classes and had a champion at 145 pounds in Troy Greaney.

“The main reason we started winning again was good numbers and plain old-fashioned hard work. The past two seasons we were forfeiting 12-24 points per match, that doesn’t give you much of a chance to win,” said Leominster head coach Matt Schiller, whose team finished the regular season 19-4-2 and was the Mid-Wach champion. “I’m just like any other coach; we all enjoy winning, but more importantly,  we love seeing the athletes learn all the life lessons from wrestling.”

Also placing for Leominster were  Anthuan Lino-Diego (285), Aramis Reyes (170), Dan Greaney (132) and Tadeo Sena (160). Isaiah Vega took fourth at 182 pounds and joined his five aforementioned teammates in qualifying for the Division 1 state tournament

Jiovanni Roman (220) and Ray Mwangi (120) will be alternates for the state tournament after earning fifth-place finishes.Trevor Ward, Luke Grebinar and John Escabi took sixth place at 106, 138 and 195 pounds, respectively.

In the Division 3 North sectional, North Middlesex had a champion at 120 pounds in Noah Lake. The Patriots also had two fourth-place finishers who qualified for the Division 3 state tournament in Mathew Piper and Joshua Neal at 285 pounds and 106 pounds, respectively.

The Patriots have two alternates in fifth-place grapplers Dustin Fournier (170) and Darien Crawford (182), while Emory Okano took sixth 113 pounds.

Wrestling notebook: Leominster set to honor Reynolds

by

It’s a group that has put together a spectacular season already, but when the Leominster High wrestling team hits the mats Saturday morning, it will be with a larger purpose looming.

The Blue Devils will host the inaugural Ross Reynolds Dual Wrestling Tournament this morning at Leominster High School, honoring the memory of one of their own. Reynolds, a former LHS grappler and Marine Captain, was killed in a plane crash during a NATO training exercise in Norway on March 18, 2022.

The 27-year-old was a member of Leominster High School’s Class of 2013 and a 2017 Worcester State University grad, attaining a criminal justice degree.

Starting at 9:45 a.m. with a ceremony honoring Reynolds, the event will see the 9-1 Blue Devils square off with five other high-quality opponents, including a strong Chelmsford High squad, with awards presented to the tournament’s top finishers.

Admission to the event is $5, with food available, as well as raffles. Half of the proceeds from the tournament are slated to go to the Ross A. Reynolds Memorial Scholarship fund, with the remaining proceeds benefitting the Leominster High wrestling program.

Bulldogs honoring Smith

Monty Tech will also host a wrestling tournament Saturday, this one honoring the team’s former coach. The Kieron Smith Memorial Tournament will draw nine programs in addition to the Bulldogs.

Monty Tech wrestling coach Kieron Smith talks to his wrestlers during a 2014 . (Sentinel & Enterprise File Photo)
Monty Tech will host the Kieron Smith Memorial Tournament today in honor of its former coach. (Sentinel & Enterprise File Photo)

Natick High, Nashoba Regional, Worcester Voke and Northbridge will be among the teams taking part in the Kieron Smith Memorial Tournament. Smith, the longtime head coach of the Bulldogs, died unexpectedly on Aug. 25, 2022.

Paulino claims title

Collegiate wrestling is going well for former Monty Tech standout Isiac Paulino.

The freshman claimed the 125-pound title at the Williams Open last Saturday for Springfield College, posting a 4-0 record on the day. The second-seeded Paulino posted two decisions and a major decision to advance to the final, where he bested top-seeded David Yeh of Williams to take home the crown.

In addition to Paulino’s first-place finish, Nashoba Regional grad Lucien Perla had a solid showing at the Williams Open. The first-year Springfield grappler went 5-1 on the day to finish third at 149 pounds.

Springfield’s roster also includes North Middlesex Regional grad Mark Thomas, a 174-pound wrestler majoring in athletic training.

The Pride are in action this weekend at the Budd Whitehill Duals in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.