CHS wrestler makes history with 2nd Lowell title
By Jay Turner
Eddie Marinilli stands atop the podium after winning the Lowell Tournament title.
Coming off a strong showing and second-place finish in a higher weight class at the Marlboro Early Bird Tournament, Canton wrestling sensation Eddie Marinilli once again made history as he powered his way to the 152 pound title at the George Bossi Lowell Holiday Tournament held last weekend at the Tsongas Arena.
Prior to last season, Canton had never had a wrestler win at Lowell, which is billed as “arguably the toughest high school wrestling tournament in the Northeast.” But Marinilli, a former All-State champion, changed that in 2018 with his victory in the 145-pound bracket.
This year, not only did he win again, but he dazzled observers with his technique and skill en route to winning the Outstanding Wrestler (OW) award for the entire tournament.
“Not only have we never had someone win the tournament before Eddie, but now him being our only two-time champion and then to win the OW just shows how much of an impression that he made,” said head coach Brian Caffelle. “If you think about just the sheer volume of kids who wrestle at that tournament, it really speaks volumes about how well he was able to go out there and compete over the course of two days.”
Between the competition at 152 pounds and the fact that he was injured for the bulk of last season, Marinilli entered the tournament on Friday as a No. 4 seed before being bumped up to No. 3. However, once on the mat he began to separate himself from the pack, rolling through the first day of competition with three consecutive pins — all in under a minute of action.
While the matches were predictably closer on Saturday, Marinilli was still the superior talent and it showed in decisions over Haverhill’s Steven Wise (13-6), Rhode Island’s Dominic Bonanno (5-2), and Chelmsford’s Evan Goodall (8-1). Arguably his toughest test came in the semis against Bonanno, the bracket’s No. 2 seed, but Marinilli showed poise and control in what Caffelle said was a “bad matchup for him style-wise.”
Advancing to the finals against Goodall, himself a former All-State finalist, Marinilli scored a big takedown in the opening period and then solidified his lead in the second period, catching Goodall with a lat throw — what Caffelle described as a “high risk/high reward” move.
“Eddie just put him to his back and the next thing you know he’s off to the races,” said Caffelle. “I just thought it was a dominant performance overall.”
While the Bulldogs did not have their full starting lineup at the tournament, two other Canton wrestlers came just a win away from placing: Jack Turano at 132 pounds and Dom Sica at 138 pounds. Both picked up two victories on Friday, with Turano recording back-to-back pins in the consolation rounds. Sica won his opening match 10-9 over a Franklin opponent, then beat a Merrimack (NH) wrestler in the consolation rounds 6-4.
Canton, which is 2-2 as a team, will next head to Northbridge to compete in a tri-meet this Saturday against both Northbridge and Concord-Carlisle. The team’s next dual meet will take place on January 8 at Sharon High School.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=63382
Posted by Jay Turner
on Jan 3 2020. Filed under High School, Sports.
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