Wrestlers take 4th at D3 central sectionals

Six Canton High wrestlers are headed to this weekend’s state championship tournament in Foxboro after an impressive showing at the Division 3 central sectionals held last Saturday in Wayland.

Led by four-time Hockomock League champion Chris Sullivan and fellow standouts Quinn Merrigan and Rob DiCalogero, the Bulldogs finished fourth as a team out of 15 schools despite bringing only nine wrestlers to the tournament.

Chris Sullivan

“It just speaks to the mental toughness of this team,” said head coach Brian Caffelle, who lost several wrestlers due to injury. “I couldn’t praise them enough for how well they did at sectionals. It was a total-team effort and I give all the credit in the world to those guys.”

Sullivan was the big winner on the day for Canton, defeating Holliston’s Robbie Mejia by pinfall to claim his second consecutive sectional crown — this time in the 152-pound class.

“Chris went out there and was in complete control,” Caffelle said of the finals match. “He pinned [Mejia] in about a minute and a half and had himself a wonderful tournament overall.”

Merrigan and DiCalogero also made the finals in their respective weight classes, although both came up short against opponents from Dedham, with Merrigan falling to Declan Heaslip (138 lbs.) and DiCalogero losing to Eric Reyes (145 lbs.).

Merrigan, who won both a sectional and state title last year, was the clear-cut favorite going into the match but ended up being called for a defensive pin that cost him the match.

“It was heartbreaking,” acknowledged Caffelle. “Quinn has absolutely dominated his opponents this season and he hadn’t given up a single point leading into the finals. Honestly, he just made a mistake. But that’s the beauty of this sport, and I’m excited to see how he responds at states.”

DiCalogero, meanwhile, went up against one of the top wrestlers in the state in Reyes and gave him quite a battle. “It was close the entire time,” said Caffelle. “I think Robbie wrestled his best and gave himself a lot of confidence going into the state tournament.”

In addition to the three finalists, the Bulldogs also had two wrestlers take third place — Wavol Prentice at heavyweight and Brendan Lewis at 120 pounds — and a third wrestler, Derek Haas, reached the semifinals and placed fourth at 132 pounds.

Prentice was seeded eighth going into the tournament and Lewis was seeded fourth, and both opened a lot of eyes with outstanding performances, according to Caffelle.

Haas, who has battled a shoulder injury this season, also impressed his coaches, delivering arguably his best performance of the season.

All three will be joining Sullivan, Merrigan, and DiCalogero at the upcoming state meet, giving Canton six competitors for the first time since the 2011 season.

Other wrestlers who competed at Saturday’s sectional tournament include Sean Murphy at 126 pounds, Waleed Chakir at 160 pounds, and Mike Reese at 170 pounds. Reese finished 1-2 on the day, while Chakir and Murphy both wrestled well despite dropping two matches apiece.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Feb 20 2014. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.