Winchester Star article with photo.

Grapplers now 18-0

Thu Jan 24, 2008, 11:59 AM EST

Winchester, MA -

Winchester, MA - The Winchester High wrestling team upped its season record to 18-0 this past week with a dual meet win over Reading and three more wins at the Wilmington Quad Meet on Saturday.

At the Wilmington Quad Meet, the Sachems started the day off with a 49-9 win over Quabbin Regional High. After falling behind 3-0, the Sachems won the next five matches with a major decision from Michael Jumper (152) and pins from Mike Greco (145), Charlie Hale (160), Mike McHugh (171) and Connor McNamara (189). Quabbin was able to grab another win, but the Sachems responded with pins from Connor Gregory (103), Ryan Fitzpatrick (130) and Kevin Constantine (135), along with a decision from Miguel Tirado (125) to close things out.

Winchester kept the momentum going as they knocked off Pentucket Regional by a score of 67-6. They started things off with four straight pins from Max Kenion (145), Gregg Kelley (152), Hale (160) and McHugh (171) before Pentucket was able to get on the board.

The Sachems came right back at them with pins from Andrew Zani (heavyweight), Don Muir (103), Michael Barber (112), Constantine (135) and John Williams (140) and decisions from Peter Pantano (119) and Shaughn Crowe (130). Muir's pin was his first varsity win of the season.

In their third win of the day, the Sachems posted an amazing 11 pins en route to a 76-3 thumping of host Wilmington. Pins were registered by Jumper (152), Hale (160), McHugh (171), Gramlich (189), Zani (HWT), Gregory (103), Barber (112), Fernando Monroy (119), Fitzpatrick (130), Crowe (135) and Williams (140). The Sachems also recorded a win by forfeit for Tirado (125) and major decision by McNamara (215).

The Sachems were challenged early in their dual meet last week against Middlesex League rival Reading. Winchester got early pins from Jumper (152) and Hale (160), along with a major decision by McNamara (189) and a decision by Zani (HWT), but after eight matches, the Rockets were leading the Sachems by a 21-19 score.

The Sachems responded by sweeping the remaining six matches, getting pins from Gregory (103), Monroy (119), Tirado (125) and Fitzpatrick (130), plus a major decision for Barber (112) and a tech fall for Constantine (135) to pull away for a 52-21 victory.

The Sachems head to North Andover on Saturday for a tri meet to Watertown High and an always tough North Andover High squad.