Canton High’s lightweight wrestlers shouldering the load for Bulldogs this season

By Kathy Anderson

Their physique notwithstanding, the lightweight-class grapplers on the Canton High varsity wrestling team are at the top of their game.

Although half of the team members weigh in at under 130 pounds, these young men know how to hold their own, keeping pace with their heavier teammates and contributing to a successful 13-7 record.

“In most sports weighing under 130 pounds would be a disadvantage,” said coach Tom Bartosek. “In this case half our guys are in the lowest six classes [of wrestling], including our two captains.”

Senior captains Kyle Forte and Billy Rothkopf weigh in at 112 and 119 lbs., respectively. Bartosek said when the two joined the wrestling team as freshmen, their weight was in the 90s.

“In working with the older kids they’ve grown into their weight classes and made their way up the ranks, and that experience has paid off,” he said.

Bartosek said he anticipates an exciting and successful future for the team’s lower-weight underclassmen.

“Matt Kelly is a sophomore and is one of the best wrestlers on the team,” he said. “In any other year he’d have 15 to 20 wins and now he’s around a dozen, but he’s been training with the older kids and next year he’ll really have a chance to shine. His brother James, who’s a freshman, is also working hard and I see him moving up the ranks, too.”

Junior Kevin Connolly at 125 pounds is one of the top five wrestlers in the state. Sophomore David Rosenberg began wrestling as a freshman at 103 and this year is at 119. Three freshman members – Andrew Burkowsky, Craig Mills and Ian Mills – are in the 103-pound class and equally pulling their weight. Bartosek said he envisions all five to continue as valuable assets to the team next year.

“I had to talk senior Kevin Lopes into coming on to the team,” Bartosek said of one of his stronger lightweights. “But he’s worked hard and this year he’s achieved confidence and is helping the team through his experience.”

As a Division III team competing in the Hockomock League, the 35-member Canton squad faces teams with upwards of 60 athletes. The 14 weight classes for high school competition are 103, 112, 119, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 152, 160, 171, 189, 215 and 285. Although Canton has a disproportionate distribution among those classes compared to most schools, the Bulldogs are spread across the weight-class board. Bartosek said the team exhibits tremendous spirit and camaraderie, and in a sport that might give an impression of “bigger is better,” he credits his lighter-weight athletes as being small in stature but strong in the ring.

“The good thing about wrestling is we have hard workouts and the kids all support each other,” Bartosek said. “They respect one another as far as having to make sacrifices to stay in their weight class; they can lose body fat but gain weight from building up muscle. It’s good to watch them realize that sometimes it’s better to have a salad for lunch instead of a bunch of cookies – it’s kind of fun to watch them react to the different workouts we have.”

This past Saturday Canton competed in the MIAA dual tournament at Pembroke High School and placed second overall. In the first match Canton defeated Cohasset 36-31 and narrowly defeated Hanover, seeded second, in the semi-finals 36-35. Ian Mills pinned his opponent for the win.

“Ian was the last to compete in his weight class and he was really ready,” Bartosek said. “There were 300 to 400 people watching but he knew he could beat his man.”

An additional motivating factor for the entire team is seeing former teammates who have graduated come back on occasion to help work out with them and cheer the team on.

“Over Christmas break some of the graduates come back and work out with the kids, and this year’s crew doesn’t want to let down their younger teammates and I see that tradition continuing,” Bartosek said. “It really is fun watching these kids come back – some go to meets and afterward maybe offer a tip on something they saw that will help in the future. Like all successful teams, it’s passed on from one generation to the next.”

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Posted by Canton Citizen on Feb 11 2010. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.