Marinilli and co. shine at Div. 2 central sectionals

Sophomore Eddie Marinilli is competing for a state title after winning the 138 lb. division at the central sectionals. (Mike Barucci photo)

Update: CHS sophomore Eddie Marinilli continued his impressive postseason run at this weekend’s Division 2 state championships, capturing the title in the 138-pound class. Senior Nick Matt (285 lbs.) placed sixth and qualified for the All-State tourney.

Marinilli and co. shine at D2 central sectionals

Sophomore Eddie Marinilli more than lived up to his billing as a No. 1 seed and six of his Bulldog teammates also punched their tickets to the state tournament as the CHS varsity wrestling team surpassed even their greatest expectations with a sensational showing at last weekend’s Division 2 central sectionals at Algonquin Regional in Northborough.

Competing for the first time ever at the D2 level and entering with a modest 8-10 team record, the Bulldogs ended up taking fourth overall as part of a collective postseason effort that head coach Brian Caffelle said “absolutely” ranks as one of the best in program history. All told, 13 different Canton wrestlers picked up at least one victory in the tournament (out of 14 available weight classes), and a whopping 10 made it to the podium as a top-six finisher — including five who entered the tournament unseeded.

“Last year we realized that we weren’t quite ready for the postseason, so when the coaches sat down at the end of the season to discuss how to improve the team, the number-one thing we looked at was strength of schedule,” noted Caffelle. “And while we may have sacrificed a few wins with tougher competition in the regular season, the hope was that we would be better prepared for those kind of rock-fight matches that you see in the postseason — and that’s exactly what you saw this weekend.”

“This year we had guys left and right stepping up and wrestling at their best, and that was the goal since day one,” added Caffelle. “We just about maxed out our potential as a team in that tournament and it was great to be a part of it.”

From an individual standpoint, the big story of the day was Marinilli, who tore through the 138-pound bracket en route to his first sectional championship. He won all three of his matches by pinfall, culminating with a hard-fought win in the finals against the third-seeded wrestler, senior Wilson Ordonez of Marlborough.

Caffelle said that Marinilli, who finished second last year at both sectionals and states in the 126-pound class, was laser-focused heading into the tournament and “business-like” in his approach on the mat. His finals match proved to be the toughest test, but after struggling to finish his shots in a scoreless first period, Marinilli found success from the top position and managed to score two big turns before sealing the victory with a pin in the third.

In addition to Marinilli’s title-winning performance at 138, two other Bulldog wrestlers finished as sectional finalists for the first time in their careers: junior Harry Carter at 120 pounds and senior Nick Matt at 285 pounds. Both had outstanding tournaments, pinning their first two opponents before falling in the finals against the top seed in their respective brackets.

Besides the three finalists, Canton also boasted a pair of consolation winners in junior Mark Carstairs (113 lbs.) and senior Justin Dickie (126 lbs.) — and they were every bit as impressive as they combined to go 7-2 with seven pinfall victories. Dickie alone racked up four pins as the No. 6 seed, including twice against third-seeded Danny Hayward of Marlborough.

Meanwhile, out of the ranks of the unseeded came several pleasant surprises, most notably freshman Jack Turano, who doubled his varsity win total in one afternoon and is now headed to states after placing fourth at 106 pounds. The same is true for Canton’s Cole Murphy, who pinned two seeded opponents at 170 pounds and also took fourth despite wrestling for most of the season at 182 pounds.

Rounding out the placewinners for the Bulldogs at this year’s sectionals were seniors Joe Pacitti (152), who took fifth and was named an alternate, Max Gallagher (145), and Cole Lee (182). Junior Jordan Neundorf also picked up a pair of victories at 160 pounds while junior Sam Walsh earned a win at 195.

Sadly, Canton’s only other No. 1 seed in the tournament besides Marinilli, senior Anis Chakir, was forced to call it a career after suffering a serious injury early in his second match. This year’s Hockomock champion at 132 pounds, Chakir was considered one of the favorites in all of Division 2 and his loss was felt by the entire CHS wrestling program, according to Caffelle.

“It was heartbreaking to look at Anis in that moment,” he said. “But I give him all the credit in the world because, even after being injured, he was still a great teammate. For the rest of the day he was in the corner helping us coach and cheering everyone on, and the team seemed to rally around him.”

Caffelle said Chakir’s injury further reinforced the notion that Saturday’s fourth-place finish was a “total team effort.”

“Unlike in past seasons, it wasn’t just one or two guys who carried the load,” he said. “As much as we struggled throughout the course of the regular season this year, to see them peak at the right time and come together as a team as they did, I honestly couldn’t be more proud as a coach than I was on that day.”

Share This Post

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=38196