Wrestlers impress in early tourney action
By Jay Turner
Newcomer Effrem Gnepo is off to a dominant start for the Bulldogs. (CHS wrestling photo)
A convincing dual-meet win over nonleague Durfee and two impressive early tournament showings stand out as highlights in what has been a very promising start for the Canton High wrestling team.
Led by returning head coach and program alumnus Nick Matt, the Bulldogs enter the season with 36 wrestlers — more than double the size of last year’s roster. “We have a lot of depth in many of our weight classes,” Matt said. “There’s a lot of competition in the practice room.”
Leading the way in the early going are two of the bigger bodies on the team — senior captain Ruairi Ritson at 195 pounds and junior newcomer Effrem Gnepo at heavyweight.
Ritson, who won his first career sectional championship in a breakout junior season, is off to another blistering start, highlighted by a pair of first-place finishes at the Scituate and Marlboro tournaments. “Ruairi’s had some absolutely intense matches where he’s been losing and then came back and won it at the end,” said Matt. “It’s a rollercoaster ride each time, but he wills himself to victory.”
Gnepo, a transfer from Fitchburg, came into the season in great shape after a stellar football campaign and has also hit the ground running. After taking third at the Scituate tournament to open the season, Gnepo went into Marlboro unseeded but proved to be no match for the competition as he rolled to the heavyweight title with four consecutive pins — all in under 40 seconds.
Other standout performers through the first two weeks of the season include Canton’s two other senior co-captains, Max Kupferman (144 lbs.), who took third place at Scituate and second at Marlboro, and Annika Valluri, who made history in Scituate as the first female Canton wrestler to place in a mixed-gender tournament. Valluri took fourth at that event in the 113-pound class and has been the definition of a captain and one of the team’s hardest workers, noted Matt.
Kupferman, who is a multi-time sectional placewinner, has been similarly impressive and looks poised to take a leap into rarified air this season. “Max is putting it altogether and just looks so dominant,” said Matt. “He’s definitely one of the top wrestlers in the state.”
Besides their studs, the Bulldogs also have several up and coming wrestlers on this year’s roster, including sophomore Jacob George (120 lbs.), who placed fourth at Scituate and earned a pin against Durfee, and Seamus Brown (165 lbs.), who placed fourth at Marlboro and has been relentless on the mat.
“Seamus has been unbelievable for us,” said Coach Matt. “There have been several matches already where he is losing in the third period and then comes back and pins the kid. It’s been awesome to see.”
Matt Morin, wrestling at 132 pounds, is also off to a strong start with a sixth-place finish at the Marlboro tournament and a pin against Durfee. Teammates Conor Hanlon, Matt Sica, Dan Harn, Owen Sasin, Kupferman and Ritson also picked up pins in the dual meet as the Bulldogs rolled to a 60-18 victory in their home gym.
Now 1-2 after losses to Sharon and Foxboro, the Bulldogs will look to rebound with a quad meet on Saturday at Cohasset followed by an away match next week at Milton.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=121205
Posted by Jay Turner
on Dec 22 2023. Filed under High School, Sports.
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