Canton Wrestling: Welcome

2010-2011 Season

 Upcoming events:  

Wed 1/5/11 7 pm  Canton vs. King Philip  @ Canton High School    

Sat 1/8/11 10 am  Pembroke Quad Meet  @ Pembroke High School 

Sat 1/15/11 9 am  Peckham Tournament  @ Canton High School    

Wed 1/19/11 7 pm  Oliver Ames vs. Canton  @ Oliver Ames High School    

Sat 1/22/11 12 pm  Watertown Quad Meet @ Watertown High School    

State Tournament              Fri, Feb 18 + Sat Feb 20               @ Holliston 

Past events:

Peckham Tournament:

Middleboro Tournament

Marshfield 5 team Quad meet:

After losing a hard fought battle to a talented Mansfield squad on Dec 15’th,

 the bulldogs headed to Marshfield on Dec. 18’th for their first Quad meet of the season.

After losing tough matches to Cohasset and Milton, the Dogs rebounded to defeat Norwell. 

 New faces were featured to the Bulldogs varsity line up as Kevin Marchand (152),

Quinn Merrigan (112), Pete Sheehan (Hwt), and Andrew Vinciguerra (145) stepped up to help

 out the team. For the last meet of the day the Bulldogs faced Marshfield, a team known for its

dominance on the mat. Despite the odds, the Dogs took it to the heavily favored Marshfield

 group and forced a surprisingly close contest. Bryan Matthews (285) started off the meet right

as his opponent was no match for his ability in “riding legs”. The momentum continued when

 Freshman Chris Sullivan teched his opponent and Quinn Merrigan recorded a key win for the

dogs. Although going 1-3 on the day, the mat men feel confident that they are on the right

track, and will use the results of the meet to help them better prepare for future opponents.

Oliver Ames Tournament  Dec 11’th

The CHS mat men opened up the 2010-2011 season with a bang placing 5th at the OA kickoff

tourney under the management of new head coach Brian Caffelle and asst. coach Sean Rockwell.

In a tournament featuring a starting roster of 28 men, Canton only entered 14 wrestlers.

Freshman Chris Sullivan (103) and Senior Kevin Connolly (135) placed first in their weight

 classes while Junior David Rosenberg (125) took second and Senior John McCabe (160)

took third.  Fourth place finishers for the Dogs  included Senior Quamine Heraldo (140)

and Sophomore Ian Mills (112).  Other wrestlers had impressive performances as well,

 including Juniors Andrew Vinciguerra (145), Josh Matt (171),  Chris Parsons (152)

and Sophomore Craig Mills (119).

 2009-2010 Season

Congratulations to Kyle Forte (112), Kevin Connolly (125), and

Will Alfano (140), who won their respective weight classes

on Saturday to become DIII South Sectional champs!

The Bulldogs also placed second in the team scores.  They sent

eight wrestlers to states including: Ian Mills (4th 103), Forte,

Billy Rothkopf (4th 119), Connolly, Mark Kisil (4th 135), Alfano

Donovan Lewis (3rd 160), and Tyler Matt (4th 189).  Kevin Lopes (130)

and Darrius Wood (215) fell just short of qualifying each placing 6th

Canton wrestling came in second place in the DIII

South Sectional Tournament with close 36-31 and 36-35 victories

over Cohasset and Hanover respectively.   In the close semi

finals match the Bulldogs got pins from Kyle Forte (112), Billy

Rothkopf (125), Mark Kisil (135), Will Alfano (140), Darrius

Wood (215) and Ian Mills (103).

It was a very good James Peckham tournament for the Bulldogs on Saturday. 

They came in second as a team with 118 team points. 

Canton had two individual champions (Kevin Connolly Jr 125, Donovan Lewis Sr CAPT 160),

three second place finishers (Kyle Forte Sr CAPT 112, Will Alfano Sr CAPT 140, Josh Matt Soph 145),

two third place finishers (Billy Rothkopf Sr CAPT 119, Pat Feeney Sr 152)

and one fourth place finisher (Ian Mills Frosh 103)

The Bulldogs defeated the Foxboro Warriors Wednesday 45-25.  It was a solid team effort.  The Bulldogs compiled 6 pins in the match.

The Bulldogs traveled to Pembroke on Saturday with a depleted lineup and came home with a 2-1 record on the day. 

The started the quad by facing Division III South powerhouse Pembroke. 

The 'Dogs fell 18-45 despite wins by Ian Mills (103)

Kyle Forte (112) Kevin Connelly (125) Will Alfano (140) and a pin by Tyler Matt (189). 

The resilient team came back in the next match topping

Silver Lake Regional 36-30 with help from pins by Billy Rothkopf (119) and Donovan Lewis (160). 

They then won an extremely exciting one point match vs Beverly thanks to a final bout tech by Forte. 

Darius Wood (215) fought off his back to save crucial team points.

NEW SEASON CHS WRESTLING 2009-2010

Current Record 15-8

Pembroke- L 45-21 

Hanover- W 36-35 

Cohasset- W 36-31 

Stoughton- W 

Hudson- L 45-39 

Watertown- W 

Hollistion- L 44-22

North Attleboro- L

Foxboro- W 45-25 

Beverly W 39-38

Silver Lake W 36-30

Pembroke L 18-45

Oliver Ames L 29-39

Cohasset W 49-24

Rockland W 24-23

Hingham W 53-30

Franklin L 22-54

Sharon W 57-23

Mansfield L 15-51

Bristol Aggie W 66-11

South Shore Voc W 42-6

Lexington W 54-24

King Philip W 35-34

Canton Bulldogs Wrestling 2008-2009

 RESULTS:

A note to everyone else from the Captains-

Thank you to all for everything, it has been a wonderful four years. The banquet went smoothly as always and the season went even better. We ended up having a fantastic year and we had some historic moments. You will be led next year by two of the finest wrestlers we have encountered. The Captains next year will continue to preach the importance of off-season work, overall dedication and respect to teammates and coaches. We are extremely confident that the holes left by this year's seniors will be filled with J.V. wrestlers who are ready to step it up. We had a great year and thanks for all the memories. We all know the number by heart, so give it a call sometime for us. We'll miss you.

Rob McCarty, Matt Connolly, Eric Mulford, and Doug Rockwell

Division III South Sectionals turned out to be an interesting tournament. The Bulldogs went into Day II in fourth place, only 2 points from the nearest team. It was a dogfight for the team as there were six teams in total going for the spot in the dual meet tournament. They finished fifth overall out of 17 teams in a great ending. Although the Dogs didn't qualify for the dual meet tournament, they did have some outstanding individual honors. After being the 15 seed in his weight class, Captain Doug Rockwell upset the number two seed in his first match of the day and went on to place second overall in the tournament. It was a great end to an incredible career with the Bulldogs. Senior Captain Matt Connolly took fifth in the toughest weight class at the tournament, as did Will Alfano and Kyle Forte. Senior Captains Eric Mulford and Rob McCarty took fourth in their classes, as well as Senior Ian Hildred. sophomore Kevin Connolly took third place in an outstanding match, sealing his place as one of the top competitors on the team.  

The Hockomock Championships fared well for the Bulldogs, with two Seniors placing in the top two. Captain Eric Mulford placed 2nd along with his co-captain Rob McCarty in their repective weight classes. Will Alfano placed third in the 135 weight class as well.

 The Bulldogs had a historic victory last Thursday against Foxborough, winning 53-17. Foxborough, who is ranked in the top ten in Division III, is the third DIII ranked team the Bulldogs have beaten in the last week and a half. The mat men are on a tear and ready to take this intensity into the post-season. The Bulldogs went into the meet knowing it wasn’t going to be easy, but that they could come out victorious. And that they did. The Bulldogs looked the best they have looked all season, with all fourteen wrestlers working together as a whole rather than as individuals. From 103, with David Rosenberg giving up a tech rather than a pin, to Caraminas almost sticking one of the state’s toughest competitors, to Donovan Lewis, Tyler Matt and Rob McCarty ending the meet strong with victories. The Bulldogs look forward to seeing some of these tough competitors at the Hockomock League Championships this Saturday.

On Tuesday at home, the Bulldogs romped their rival Stoughton Black Knights, 49-9.  The team decided not to take the four forfeits Stoughton was giving up unless they were needed at the end of the meet, and certainly did not need them. Captain Eric Mulford started out the night by tech-falling his opponent. Following him were pins from Donovan Lewis, Captains Doug Rockwell and Rob McCarty, Tyler Matt, David Rosenberg, and Will Alfano. Kyle Forte also had a solid victory on the night. The Dogs came back from losing by one point for two years straight to beat the Knights.

Over the weekend, the Bulldogs had a couple of tough losses. They were held back by injuries ad sicknesses, but according to Head Coach Bartosek, its "Better now than at Sectionals and Hocks." The Green and White Gladiators were missing four starters in Freshman David Rosenberg, Senior Ian Hildred, and Senior Captains Eric Mulford and Rob McCarty.  They beat Watertown, but lost close ones to Holliston and Hudson. There was no question that the bulldogs would have gone 3-0 if they wrestled full strength Saturday. There were several individual successes though. Kyle Hanlon achieved his first pin, and freshman Brian Matthews and Calvin Winchill both stepped it up as well to help fill the gaps the Bulldogs had. Ryan Brady's match was a highlight of the day. After being down on points and looking like a sure defeat, Brady drew from within himself and headlocked his opponent to his back, helping seal the day's only victory.

On Wednesday, January 21, the Bulldogs faced off against yet another tough Hockomock opponent. At Oliver Ames, the mat-men took an astounding victory, winning 39-24, in an important win for the team. "O.A. is generally pretty tough and tonight we showed how tough we can be when we actually wrestle the way we are capable," said assistant coach Aaron Mann on the nights victory. The scene was set in a frigid gym, which made it difficult for Canton wrestlers to warm up, but even through the difficulty generating a sweat, they prevailed. "I've never been in a wrestling gym that was so cold,"  said Head Coach Bartosek. Despite the coldness, the Bulldogs registered wins at 119, 125, 130, 140, 145, 152, 160 and 189. Captain Matt Connolly improved his record to 14-3 and win streak to 7 by defeating O.A.'s captain by 14 points, along with Captain Eric Mulford who registered his sixth pin.

Canton had a good weekend on the weekend of January 17 and 18, with the Varsity members wrestling in the Peckham Tournament on Saturday and the J.V. and Women wrestlers wrestling in a tournament the following day. Canton took fourth place overall, behind Norton, Dedham, and the first place Somerset. Fourth place winners were: David Rosenberg, Kyle Forte, Billy Rothkopf, and Will Alfano. Third place winners were: Kevin Connolly, Ian Hildred, and Nick Caraminas, who had one of his best matches of the season. Captains Matt Connolly and Eric Mulford both took first place victories in the tournament.

The Dogs suffered another tough Hockomock league loss against K.P. on Wednesday January 14, where they lost at home, 37-27. Tyler Matt wrestled especially tough, going in at 189 to face one of the toughest competitors in the state. Kyle Hanlon also had an enthralling victory, registering his first win of the season. The best highlight of the night, though, was Donovan Lewis's match. He was down by a few points after being taken down to his back, but sprung back and pinned his opponent for 6 team points in Canton's column. Other victories on the night were recorded by Kyle Forte, Matt Connolly, Eric Mulford, and Rob McCarty.

The Bulldogs suffered an unfortunate  defeat on Wednesday January 7th, losing to the N.A. Warriors, 50-15. Highlights in the  meet were Captain Eric Mulford's close match, Matt Connolly's impressive pin, Doug Rockwell's solid victory, David Rosenberg's outstanding effort to not get pinned. Billy Rothkopf also looked very aggressive in his match, leading to a pin. They look to come back strong on Wednesday against King Phillip 

The Bulldogs had a great win against Sharon on Saturday January 3rd, winning 42-25. Kevin Connolly started out the meet with an outstanding victory at weight 130. Next up was Will Alfano who, as usual, showed his knowledge on the mat, sticking his opponent for a quick 6. At 140, Nick Caraminas had an extremely exciting win, pinning his opponent in the third. His match went back and forth and the better man came out on top. At 145 Chris Parsons made his varsity debut and had a great match for his first time on varsity. Even though he got pinned, he could take a lot a way from his match and learn from his mistakes. At 152 Captain Matt Connolly had yet another victory, winning his match on points. At 160 Donovan Lewis wrestled one of the toughest competitors in the state, and even though he lost by major decision, he wrestled very tough. Captain Doug Rockwell had a tough loss at 171 pounds. At 189, Captain Rob McCarty started what was the beginning of the end for Sharon, pinning his opponent in the first period. Tyler Matt bumped up to 215 for the Sharon meet, and almost got pinned in the first period. Giving up 30 pounds is one of the toughest things to do in the sport of wrestling, but it didn't matter to Tyler when he pinned his opponents in the best come-from-behind victory the Bulldogs have had all season. Kyle Hanlon gave a valiant effort as always at Heavyweight, as well as David Rosenberg at 103. Kyle Forte sealed the victory, ending the Eagles chance for a come back when he pinned his opponent. Billy Rothkopf seemed tentative when he was on the mat and he lost his match by one point on yet another official's poor judgement.

The Bulldogs had a solid performance this past weekend at the Lowell Holiday Tournament. " Everyone wrestled tough and we saw a lot of things that we can build upon over the course of the season," said Coach Aaron Mann. Weighting in at 103, David Rosenberg got a first round bye, the lost two tough matches to seasoned opponents. At 119, Billy Rothkopf made his Lowell debut and had three great matches, finishing up the day 1-2. "Lowell is a humbling tournament, and it's better for the guys to see really tough competitors then wrestle guys they know they can beat." said Coach Brian Caffelle. At 130, Ian Hildred wrestled some of the toughest matches he has during his tenure at Canton High School. After almost being disqualified, he came back in his second match and wrestled intelligently, giving his opponent a tough match. At 135, Will Alfano showed that he is a true contender for the sectional crown after just missing a victory to Foxboro's Avery on a questionable call. He won his next match and advanced to day two. Also advancing to day two were: Kyle Forte, Kevin Connolly, Eric Mulford, Matt Connolly, Donovan Lewis, Doug Rockwell and Rob McCarty. " We had more guys come to day two this year than in any year in the past. Even though day one was shortened by one round, it still shows how deep our team is," said Coach Sean Rockwell. Highlights from the weekend were Mulford's match against a two-time Lowell Tournament Champion and Forte's day two match. Mulford wrestled tough for the first two periods and eventually ended up losing the match on points. Mulford showed that he truely is the real deal when he hung with a D1 State Qualifier. Forte also wrestled a great match against a tough Lowell opponent. Forte won the match 3-1 and showed that even though he bumped up a weight class, he is still a threat to any opponent.

RESULTS 12-23-2008 

The Bulldogs had a great comeback this past week when they defeated the first-year Plymouth North, and when they routed Hingham. The Bulldogs suffered a tough loss to Hingham last year, so this year the victory was extremely satisfying for Canton. Sophomore Kevin Connolly and Seniors Matt Connolly, Eric Mulford and Doug Rockwell all had two pins on the day. Also walking away with solid victories were: David Rosenberg, Ian Hildred, Will Alfano Nick Caraminas, Donovan Lewis, John McCabe, and Rob McCarty. "Everything that should have happened, happened," said Coach Brian Caffelle. The Bulldogs came out very aggressive, and seemed to be more comfortable on the mat. The technique was bar-none the best the Bulldogs have wrestled in the past two seasons. As individuals,they seemed strong, confident and comfortable when they stepped on the mat to face their opponent. As a team, they seemed very supportive and close. Let's hope the Bulldogs can keep up the intensity when they go to the Lowell Holiday Tournament this weekend.

RESULTS, DECEMBER 17, 2008:

103-Rosenberg, LBF    (12-0)                              145- Mulford, WBF (32-13)

112-Forte, Win Minor decision  (12-3)                152- M. Connolly Loss Minor decision (35-13)

119-Rothkopf, Loss, Minor decision  (15-3)        160-Lewis, WBF (35-19)

125-K. Connolly, LBF  (21-3)                                 171- Rockwell, WBF (35-25)

130-Hildred, Loss by tech  (26-3)                         189- Matt, LBF (41-25)

135-Alfano, Win Major decision  (26-7)                 215- McCarty, Loss Minor decision (44-25)

140-Caraminas, LBF  (32-7)                                   HVY- Hanlon, LBF    (6-0)

TO ALL NEW WRESTLERS:                    

"Wrestling will challenge you at times. Most times. But it is through hard work, discipline and dedication that non-athletes become State Champions." Wrestling is not an easy sport, and it will challenge you. You have taken the first step in a meaningful, exciting, and rewarding endeavor. Good work. We know how disciplined you are as athletes, we have talked to your fall sport coaches. If you did not participate in a fall sport, we have talked to some teachers. We know most of you are good, if not exceptional students. We promote outstanding work in the classroom, and if that is not achieved, we can help anytime. Come to one of us for help in any subject. Between the four of us, you can have help in any of your classes. School work is Number 1, no matter what.  If you have low grades, get them up. We're going to have one hell of a season.

Sincerely,

Doug Rockwell, Eric Mulford, Rob McCarty, Matt Connolly

OFF SEASON WORK:

 Thanks to an outstanding turn out at camps and open mats this summer, the wrestling program looks like it is in good shape for next season. Coach Bartosek offers the following thoughts: "We could have had a few more keys guys go out there and go to camps this summer and do more work in the offseason, but there is still three and a half months to put in some serious work before the season starts. I would like to see more faces at open mats and the weight room and running to stay in shape. It's the wrestlers that put in the time in the offseason when it is hardest that have the most success in winning and placing in tournaments, Sectionals, States, and All-States during the season. When they go to camps as a team, like this team did with Harvard and Gramby, and work together lifting and running in the offseason, that's what builds teams that can win Sectionals, States and All-States.  I asked the team if they want to be a 'flash in the pan' or do they want to be the beginning of something big."

The weight room is open during the week after school, check with the athletic director with questions about the schedule.  Open Mats will be starting up again sometime in October, ask any of the four captains or Coach Bartosek with any questions. "I really hope the team keeps up the good work training, lifting, and running, as they have done all summer." explains Assistant coach Aaron Mann. The wrestlers who attended the Gramby System Wrestling Camp in late July were: Kyle Forte, Kevin Connolly, Will Alfano, Josh Matt, Nick Caraminas, Eric Mulford, Matt Connolly, Doug Rockwell, Tyler Matt and Rob McCarty. The camp was a big success, teaching a style of wrestling to those ten members of team, and hopefully success will follow this season. "Sometimes it gets hard to stay focused and put the time in, day in and day out when school comes around, with homework and fall sports, but it is great wrestlers and leaders on the team who figure out a way to fit it in, and it is those wrestlers who win." says Coach Mann.

Keep up the good work lifting, running, and training, and good luck to all wrestlers participating in fall sports. 

WRESTLING UPDATES:

On Saturday, March 15, Keough and Cortizo again wrestled in a tournament, the 2008 U.S.G.W.A. New England Regional  tournament.Christine Keough lost her first match in a dramatic overtime loss by one takedown, 7-5."Christie has had a great year this year and she is a completely different wrestler," Head Coach Tom Bartosek said. Keough came back with a big victory in her second match, pinning her opponent in the first period. She lost her third match to one of the toughest opponents in the whole tournament, by pin-fall late in the second period."She wrestled great today, and sometimes it is just the luck of the draw where the wrestler is seated in the tournament," said Coach Aaron Mann of Keough's performance. Wrestling at 125 pounds was Lauren Cortizo. In her first match, Cortizo had a battle where she pinned her opponent in the second period after a devastating Japanese Arm Throw. She came back for more, later in the day against one of the tougher opponents in the tournament, and ended up pinning her in the third period. "If you saw her wrestle, you would think she is a completely different wrestler from three months ago at the beginning of the season." Said coach Aaron Mann. In the championship and final match of the day for the Lady Bulldogs, Cortizo waged war on her opponent, defeating her in a great match, 7-5. Now that Cortizo is the 2007-2008 U.S.G.W.A. New England Regional Champion, she is ranked 10th in the National Tournament.

On Saturday March 8th, Christie Keough and Lauren Coritizo wrestled in the USGWA state championships. Keough, wrestling at the 112 weight class, beat her first opponent 14-2, then sealed another victory by pinning her opponent in the second period, and won yet another match 6-5 against a brutal opponent. She took second place in the whole tournament and had a great day. Lauren Cortizo started the day off great and continued all day at the tournament. Her first match was a battle with a worthy opponent, and ended up pinning her. ***NOTICE***-The opponent she faced in that match turned out to be a college girl wrestler, therefore the loss did not register against her in the tournament. She won her second match and lost a tough battle in her third match. She ended the day strong by winning her fourth and final match,  sealing a gold medal, becoming the U.S.W.G.A. 125 pound Champion. 

On Friday, February and Saturday, Feburary 23, Senior Captian Marc Julien and Sophomore Kyle Forte competed in the State Tournament. Wrestling at 103, Forte wrestled extremely tough in his first match, only losing 3 points, and then losing another tough match later on on Friday night.  "Kyle is in a group of sophomores who are really going to help the team the next few years," head coach Tom Bartosek said. Julien, coming back to states again, wrestled fantastic all day, Friday and Saturday. He registered two pins, to get to second on the team in pins, behind Sophomore Donovan Lewis, who has 15.

On Saturday, February 9th, the Bulldogs had a great day, taking 6th place at Sectionals, even though they were missing two of their top varsity starters. Taking sixth place in his weight division, Donovan Lewis wrestled great in the first few rounds when he had to exit the tournament due to an injury suffered in one of his matches. At fifth place, Ian Hildred had a great day pinning his opponent in the fifth place match. Wil Hennessey wrestled great all day, as did Eric Mulford and Rob McCarty