Quinn takes over wrestling reins
By Mike Lopez
Wednesday, December 13, 2006

In his first year as varsity wrestling coach, Brian Quinn won't have to look very hard if he needs some assistance.  The 2006-2007 L-S edition reloads behind four talented seniors with high hopes, including a Dual Country League crown. Ryan McCann (130), Nico von Stackelberg (160), Justin Nicholson (189) and Jason Orlando (heavyweight) are clearly the strong point of this year's squad.  ``Our strength is our captains and seniors,'' said Quinn. ``They are going to be real good in their weight classes.''

In addition to the captains, several other wrestlers return with varsity experience from 2005-2006. At 140, junior Jeff McKinnon is one of the DCL's top wrestlers, and Stephen Baez (119), Jonathan Nichols (135), Eric Pennington (171), and Jessie Smith (215) have more or less cemented their respective spots.  In the lower weight classes, younger and older Warriors will compete for the remaining mat time.  Senior Sean Walsh, juniors Jon Starr and Will Binder, and sophomore Jeff Iuliano are all competing for one spot at 145. Three separate freshmen Chris Stoll, Trevor MacKinnon, and Mike Howd will rotate between varsity and junior varsity at 103. At 112, Evan Biller and Jordan Syatt will handle duties, with sophomore Dave Garelik and junior Matt Hardardt battling for time at 125.  In all, while the Warriors boast experience in the heavier classes, Quinn knows his younger classes will have to carry the load as well. 

``I'd really like to get the younger grades involved, to try and avoid rebuilding years,'' said Quinn. ``I want to give the younger kids a lot of mat time, either through JV matches or limited varsity action.''  Additionally, Quinn hopes to use the season for continued improvement, both individually and as a team, hoping for some team success in the postseason tournament.  ``Each practice, I expect kids coming to get better and to improve every day,'' said Quinn. ``We'll need to commit to a team effort and stay focused each day. I'm going to stress not letting the team down by missing practice or not being there for whatever reason.'' 

As far as wins and losses go, Quinn's not immediately concerned.  ``Harry Coffin was the head coach for four years, and he had a real good record. It will be tough to match that, but I think the kids will take care of it. They'll determine our success.''

Early, while pieces may be there for a run at the DCL crown, some further organization may be needed.  With a handful of wrestlers having not had the mandatory 10 practices to participate in a varsity match, L-S dropped its opener at the hands of Westford Academy, 51-21, last Thursday.  This past weekend, the Warriors rebounded with a 2-1 effort in a Somerset quad match, upping St John's Prep (54-21) and Somerset (39-35), while falling to North Attleboro (49-24).  ``Some unproven guys stepped in and got the job done, and we all stayed healthy, which is always an important goal too,'' Quinn pointed out.  McCann and McKinnon both finished 3-0 in the quad meet, with Nichols and Pennington both finishing 2-1. McKinnon upped his record to 4-0 with four pins on the season.

Back in the DCL, Quinn expects his toughest competition to come at the hands of Westford, Weston, and Wayland. With one loss already, L-S may need to run the table to finish as league champs.  ``Fortunately we have some of those teams at the end of the season,'' said Quinn. ``By then, hopefully things will have fallen into place.''