CHS wrestlers starting to find their groove

It has been a challenging season for the young and inexperienced CHS wrestling team, but the Bulldogs are starting to turn the corner and have really stepped up their performances over the past few meets, led by junior standouts Chris Sullivan and Quinn Merrigan and up-and-coming wrestlers like Rob Dicalogero and Derek Haas.

Junior Derek Haas (Mike Barucci photo)

Last week, the wrestlers turned in arguably their best performance of the season on senior night against defending Davenport champion Oliver Ames, racing out to a big lead and eventually holding on for a 39-39 draw.

Head coach Brian Caffelle described it as the “highlight of the year,” in part, he said, because the team came away believing they should have won the match.

“I was very pleased with the way we wrestled,” said Caffelle. “At the same time, the team wasn’t celebrating the final result. It sort of illustrated the difference between being happy to be there and thinking that we should have won that meet.”

Among the highlights for Canton were the performances of Reda Chakir (145 lbs.), who earned his varsity win, and Mike Reese, who was bumped up to 170 lbs. and fought his way out of a headlock and off his back to pin his opponent.

The Bulldogs then traveled to Foxboro three days later to compete in the Hockomock League championship meet, and despite finishing ninth as a team, they still had five different wrestlers place in the top six.

“We were doing really well at one point,” noted Caffelle. “Halfway through the semifinal round of the championships, we were in third place as a team.”

Sullivan, who has just one loss all season at 132 lbs., cruised through the tournament to win his third consecutive Hock title. Merrigan also captured the league title in the 138-pound class, while sophomore Dicalogero (145 lbs.) finished in second place after a tough loss in the finals.

Other highlights at the league meet included sixth-place finishes for Haas (126 lbs.) and senior Pete Sheehan (heavyweight), and wins for Walid Chakir (160 lbs.) and Binah Smith (195 lbs.).

A few weeks earlier, the Bulldogs had a similarly strong showing at home in the Peckham Invitational, an annual tournament that usually brings out the best in the Canton wrestlers.

Both Sullivan and Merrigan won their weight classes; Dicalogero and Haas both finished third; and Sheehan finished fourth.

“We’re still getting better every day,” said Caffelle. “Peckham was a great tournament for us. I love it because we always seem to wrestle way over our heads when we get into that tournament.”

The Bulldogs have just a few regular season matches remaining on their schedule — including a dual meet on Wednesday at rival Stoughton — before kicking off the postseason with the Division 3 south sectionals on Saturday, February 9.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Jan 31 2013. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.