A big week for L-S grapplerS
Thu Jan 03, 2008, 01:14 PM EST
Lincoln - The L-S wrestlers went int last week knowing it was perhaps their most difficult of the entire season. In addition to traveling to Newton South for a Dual County League match, they also hosted Natick, currently ranked sixth in Massachusetts, and traveled to Lawrence to tackle Central Catholic (ranked 11th), up and coming Dracut and Pinkerton Academy (ranked 3rd in New Hampshire).
Easy matches are wonderful for individual egos, but do little to improve wrestling skills and abilities. By wrestling top competition, L-S will be best prepared for success as the season progresses.
Starting Tuesday Dec. 18 the boys improved their DCL record to 2-1 (2-4 overall) with a thrilling 39-32 victory over Newton South Tuesday night. Senior Cyrus Elias got the Warriors off to a quick start with a second period pin at the 171-weight class.
Newton South took the next two matches (189, 215) before freshman Zach Smerlas, who is quickly making a name for himself, recorded a first-period pin at 285. Freshman, Eric Davis, from the opposite end of the spectrum (103), followed up with his own first period pin and the Warriors were out in front for good.
After sophomore Dan Cjmela recorded an 8-5 win in a very competitive 112-pound match, Newton South took the next three bouts to pull the team score to 21-20. From there, the L-S captains took over. First came Mike Pace (135) who needed all of 15 seconds to pin his opponent and boost the team lead to 7. A bit of controversy followed next as Dave Garelik, leading 11-2 in the third period, and in complete control of his opponent, was ruled pinned as he rolled onto his back while pulling his adversary through a move. While Dave graciously congratulated his opponent, Jeff McKinnon (145) devoured his.
McKinnon, wrestling up two weight classes from where he started the season, demonstrated his dominant wrestling skills as he repeatedly out-maneuvered his bigger foe. Already leading 12-2 in the second period, McKinnon mercifully ended the match by recoding the pin.
Captain John Starr, closed out the scoring for the Warriors with a first period pin that rivaled Pace’s for shortest duration.
Coaches measure their team’s success in a variety of ways. The W’s and L’s are always there, but there is also, character, pride, improvement and the ability to elevate one’s game, that allows a coach to look into the soul of his team and see a reason to believe.
So it must have been with enormous pride and satisfaction that coach Brian Quinn and Taylor Cruz watched as their boys battled Division 1 perennial powerhouse Natick to a 35-33 defeat Thursday night at the L-S home opener.
After starting the regular season 2-4 and with mixed individual results, every aspect of a quality wrestling team were on display for the Warriors. There were dramatic and immediate pins, hard fought victories on points, and gritty losses on points instead of pins.
It started at the 189 with Chris MacKinnon. Although losing in the second period by pin after making a fatal mistake, MacKinnon had out-wrestled his opponent the entire match (8-5) until that moment.
Indeed, from the fans’ perspective, it appeared as though MacKinnon had won by pin early in the second period. The referee didn’t see it that way and ultimately MacKinnon was bested, but the tone for the meet was set. John Tylko (215) then turned in one of those gritty “losing” performances surrendering only three team points in a 9-3 defeat. With the team trailing 9-0 after two matches, in stepped freshman Zach Smerlas, who is not so quietly making a name for himself in Massachusetts high school wrestling.
Facing a much larger opponent, Smerlas again displayed uncommon athleticism for a big man, going low and wrapping up his opponent’s legs. A hoist, a slam and a cover, and it was over at the 1:12 mark of the first. Smerlas’ physical counterpart, Eric Davis (103), was not to be outdone, pinning his opponent barely 30 seconds into the match.
The two freshmen suddenly had L-S in front, 12-9.
The third freshman starter, Marc Pace, suffered a first period pin in the next match, but again succumbed on a mistake rather than by being out-wrestled. Trailing 15-12, Dan Cjmela stepped in at 119 against a very talented Natick foe. Cjmela battled neck-and-neck into the third period (trailing 4-3 after the first; 8-5 after the second).
Three times in the third period, Cjmela was turned onto his back and looked all but pinned. But Danny’s wily wrestling skills were fully on display as he simply refused to surrender the pin. The match ended 16-6, but giving up only four team points would prove huge as the meet progressed.
Having lost two straight matches and now trailing 19-12, the team could have given up and accepted the fact that Natick was too good to beat. Matt Hardardt had other ideas. In his first varsity match of the season at 125, Hardardt battled for three full periods, pinning his opponent at the 1:46 mark of the third. And suddenly there they were, 19-18 half way through the meet and with the strength of the line-up still to come. As they have all year, the captains proved a difference maker.
First came Mike Pace (130), recording a gusty 6-2 victory. Next came Jeff McKinnon (135) who took a personally unsatisfying six-point victory by forfeit. Natick’s decision to not wrestle at 135, speaks volumes for the respect they have for McKinnon’s well-known abilities.
With the team now surprisingly ahead 27-19, Dave Garelik battled to a 5-3 loss, coming ever so close to securing victory. Again, despite failing to secure the victory, Garelik refused to be pinned and as a consequence only gave back three team points. Will Binder came next at 145 and fought hard into the second before falling by pin. With but three matches remaining, the scoreboard revealed a nail-biting 28-27 lead for Natick.
Captain John Starr (152) obliterated that lead with a third period pin that vaulted the Warriors into the lead at 33-28 with two matches remaining. Justin Gibbs (160) and Cyrus Elias (171) were each out-pointed in the final matches, but by the slimmest of margins.
In the end, the scoreboard tells a story of a Natick victory. But for the Warriors, this may be the match looked back on at season’s end, as the beginning of the path to glory. To a man, the Warriors demonstrated toughness, determination, ability and heart. All the ingredients were on display and it is with anticipation that the fans, friends and families await what comes next.
