Murphy and co. impress at D2 central sectionals

Seniors Harry Carter, Cole Murphy, Jordan Neundorf, Mark Carstairs and Sam Walsh (Jill Carter photo)

Four CHS wrestlers are headed to this weekend’s Division 2 state tournament and two others are on deck as alternates after an impressive team showing at the 2019 central sectional championships held last Saturday in Marlboro.

Senior Cole Murphy was the story of the day for the Bulldogs, pinning his way to the top of the podium at 170 pounds to earn his first career postseason title. Two other Canton wrestlers, senior captain Harry Carter at 132 pounds and freshman Zach Peters at 106, also made it to the finals in their respective weight classes, while senior captain Mark Carstairs went 3-1 on the day with two pins to capture third place at 120 pounds.

Also making their way to the podium as sectional place-winners were senior captain Jordan Neundorf (160 lbs.) and sophomore Jack Turano (113 lbs.), who both finished fifth, and senior Sam Walsh, who took sixth at 195 pounds.

Overall, the Bulldogs finished eighth as a team, and they did so without the services of junior standout Eddie Marinilli, who has been sidelined since late December with a shoulder injury. A defending All-State champion and one of the top pound-for-pound wrestlers in all of New England, Marinilli was unable to make it back to the mat this season but still made the trip to Marlboro to cheer on his teammates — including his backup at 145 pounds, sophomore Jacob Reich, who won his first postseason match with a pin in the consolation bracket.

“We had hoped that with rehab and PT that Eddie would have been able to make it back this season, but unfortunately that was not the case,” said head coach Brian Caffelle. “Not having him in the lineup really hurt, but he still comes to practices and he’s been such a great leader and a great role model for the other guys on the team.”

As for Murphy’s big win, Caffelle said it was both convincing and well-deserved, despite the fact that he needed only two matches to get there due to a forfeit by his semifinals opponent. Seeded No. 1 in the weight class, Murphy, according to Caffelle, wrestled “exactly the way he wanted to” and made quick work of both opponents, culminating with a second period pin over Marlboro senior Trevor Nutt in the finals match.

Caffelle said the performance was a reflection of the tremendous growth that Murphy has shown on the mat over the past three seasons. “I was really excited for him,” he said. “To go from sophomore year with no background in wrestling to three short years later he basically pins out to win the sectionals and become a champion, it really is quite an accomplishment.”

Caffelle was also very proud of the performances of his three senior captains, all of whom won multiple matches against top competition. Carter, who also placed second at last year’s tournament, beat his first two opponents in convincing fashion before losing in the finals to the second seeded wrestler out of Concord-Carlisle. Carstairs’ lone loss came against the No. 1 seed and eventual 120-pound champion, but he bounced back to win the consolation bracket, pinning the No. 3 seed at the 3:48 mark to take third.

Neundorf, meanwhile, finished fifth in his weight class but had more wins than any other Canton wrestler, going 4-2 on the day with a pin, a tech fall, and two major decisions.

Among the underclassman ranks, Peters continued his sensational debut season with a run to the finals, earning two straight dominant wins before bowing out to the No. 1 seed out of Montachusett in the finals. Turano, who wrestled in Peters’ weight class last year and took fourth as a freshman, had another strong sectional at 113 pounds, winning two matches, including his last one by pinfall to take fifth for the tournament.

Walsh and Reich both had one victory apiece for the Bulldogs, while several other Canton wrestlers gained valuable postseason experience, including freshmen Cooper Peters and Cillian Collins at 126 and 182 pounds, respectively. Also seeing action at the tournament were juniors Jobi Michel (152) and Derrell Brown (220) and senior Tim Giglio (138).

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