Ritson repeats as D2 central wrestling champ
By Jay Turner
Senior captain Ruairi Ritson cruised to a 2nd consecutive sectional title on Saturday. (CHS wrestling photo)
The remarkable rise of Ruairi Ritson continued this past weekend at the Division 2 Central meet in Bellingham, where the decorated senior dominated the competition in the 190-pound class to earn his second sectional title in as many seasons.
“I’m expecting a state title out of the kid,” said head coach Nick Matt after Ritson’s latest display of power and skill. “He’s going to shock some people. He’s already one of Canton High’s all-time greats, and his leadership won’t ever be touched in my opinion.”
Despite never setting foot on a mat until his sophomore year, Ritson has firmly established himself as one of the top pound-for-pound wrestlers in the commonwealth and has started to rely more on technique as opposed to brute strength. At Saturday’s D2 central meet, he quickly took down his first opponent of the day and then proceeded to knock off two league rivals, No. 3 seeded Cormac Horlbogen of Sharon and top-seeded Luke Donis of Milford, 8-2 and 10-2, to clinch the championship.
“Last year Ruairi won a lot of matches on grit and heart,” noted Coach Matt, “but to take out a Milford kid, especially at that weight, was incredible to watch.”
The Hawks, a perennial state wrestling powerhouse, were all over the podium on Saturday and easily bested the field to win the team title. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, finished a very respectable seventh in the standings out of 13 teams with top-six finishes in seven different weight classes.
Canton’s other top performer on the day was senior Max Kupferman, who cruised to the finals in the 144-pound division but had the misfortune of having to face Milford’s Aidan Baum, one of the top handful of wrestlers in the state regardless of weight class.
It marked the second straight tournament that Kupferman had to settle for runner-up after losing to Baum, following their showdown in the finals at the Hockomock Championships. He now heads to the Division 2 state meet, and according to Coach Matt, he’s determined to beat his biggest rival before he graduates.
“Max is one of the top wrestlers in the state himself and he has beaten the other three Division 2 sectional champs,” said Matt. “We’ve got a whole game plan for Baum going into states, and you just need to beat him once — and there’s no greater stage to do it at than states.”
In addition to Ritson and Kupferman, five other Canton wrestlers finished as place winners at sectionals, all taking sixth, including Seamus Brown at 165, Matthew Sica at 150, Matthew Morin at 132, Jacob George at 120, and senior captain Anika Valluri at 113. Valluri will now move on to compete in the Girls State Championship, which is scheduled for this Saturday at Algonquin Regional — the same venue as the D2 state meet.
“She’s one of the toughest and best leaders I’ve ever met,” Matt said of Valluri. “Her constant desire to improve and work hard sets the tone for everyone around her. As the first female wrestler in CHS history to place in a mixed-gender tournament, she now sets her sights on hanging a banner.”
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=122008
Posted by Jay Turner
on Feb 16 2024. Filed under High School, Sports.
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