Merrigan claims D3 state wrestling crown

For the second year in a row, the Canton High wrestling program has produced a state champion after junior Quinn Merrigan, fresh off his victory in the recent south sectionals, fought back from a 6-4 deficit to pin his opponent in the finals of the Division 3 state tournament.

Quinn Merrigan in an earlier season match (Mike Barucci photo)

Wrestling at 138 pounds, Merrigan defeated all four opponents he faced, including former state champion Pat O’Connell of Hudson in the final match to claim the title.

“It was extremely satisfying to see Quinn accomplish this,” said head coach Brian Caffelle, a Bulldog alum and former wrestler. “To see all the work that he puts into the sport, both in season and out of season, you just wanted it for him. You wanted him to win, and it was incredible to see him walking off the mat with a victory.”

Merrigan’s classmate and teammate Chris Sullivan, who won the title as a sophomore at 113 pounds, finished second at 135 pounds, while sophomore Rob Dicalogero (145 lbs.) took home eighth and just barely missed the cutoff for the All-States, which was held last Friday in Salem.

All three postseason tournaments were held within a week of each other due to the recent inclement weather, meaning that Merrigan and Sullivan had virtually no time to prepare for the grueling All-State meet. Both still turned in solid performances — Sullivan placing fifth and Merrigan sixth — although Merrigan had to eventually withdraw from competition after aggravating an injury he suffered earlier in the week.

“This is one of the reasons I was concerned about the schedule as a coach,” said Caffelle. “There’s not enough time to recover from injury. Quinn wins states and he literally has one day to practice before All-States — and that’s not enough time at all.”

The reason the MIAA condensed the schedule, according to Caffelle, was to fit in all of the tournaments prior to this weekend’s New England championships, scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Providence. Sullivan will be among the competitors, and Caffelle believes he has a chance to perform better than he did at All-States, where he lost an overtime heartbreaker that would have given him third if he had pulled it out.

As for Merrigan, he will take some time to rest and recover so as to be ready for nationals in early April. A relative unknown in the sport until he burst onto the scene late last season, Merrigan is now one of the region’s truly elite wrestlers.

“Quinn’s weight class last year was death row in Massachusetts,” said Caffelle, “and by the end of the season he was beating some of the top-ranked kids. This year he’s in another top weight class and he had a wonderful season, winning the state championship and accomplishing a lot of his personal goals.”

Merrigan now joins Sullivan as one of only four state wrestling champions in Canton High School history, and both still have one more season to try to equal Rich Daniels’ school record of two state titles.

“I’m extremely fortunate as a coach to have both of those guys,” said Caffelle, “and I’m hoping that both will get it next year.”

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Posted by Jay Turner on Feb 28 2013. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.