Spaulding High School recently finished another strong year in high school wrestling, both in the state tournament and at the New England Championships.
The Tide's more consistent scoring power of Artie Busano, Adam Reed and Jared Rich all did well, as usual. The team's younger - and lighter - wrestlers showed a glimpse of how strong they can be in the next few years, which is a great thing for Spaulding. The Crimson Tide have struggled with not only filling the smallest weight classes, but in also in filling them with athletes who can score points at team-scoring events.
I wrote briefly about the NEs in Wednesday's paper, but here are some more thoughts and quotes from Tide coach Darren O'Meara regarding his team's performance (second place overall) in the recent state tournament:
"Cody Jolley, our 103-pounder, wrestled very tough, and he was really up against it down there. He was pinned early in the season by (Mount Anthony's Rachel) Hale, and as far as most people were concerned, she had won the state title before any wrestling was done. As you can imagine the pressure on him was huge, he was wrestling the No. 1 seed, who was destined to be the first girl to win a state title in Vermont, in her own gym, and she had already beaten him badly. He rose to the occasion, he worked hard all season for that match, and he gave her a match! She started the match by taking him down and putting him on his back, nearly pinning him, but before the end of the first period he responded with a reversal and nearly pinned her. Five more second in the period and he would have won. They battled back and forth, and the final score of 10-9 was a huge improvement over their last meeting. I know that it was a big deal for her to win states, but it was a very big deal for Cody to make state finals, as a sophomore, and come within one point of winning it. His semi finals opponent was no slouch, and Cody had to gut out a very close 4-0 win over Dylan Hemstead from Milton, to get to the finals.
Cory Roya, 112, was maybe the most impressive wrestler of the tournament, from any team. He had an outstanding performance, in one of the toughest weight classes in VT this year. Cory was seeded 6th, and he had a very tough road to get to finals. His quarter finals match was against a talented, and athletic, Jody Fabian from Fair Haven, the No. 3 seed going into the tournament. Fabian, a senior who placed 6th at 119 in 2010, had beaten Cory at the Essex Classic pretty handily. Cory was relentless in the match, before the match was over Fabian had needed to take a couple of injury times because the pace was too much, and Cory came out with an 8-7 decision. It was the upset of the night in everyone's mind, except Cory's. He shook hands and ran off the mat to go do sprints down in the Mount Anthony locker room, like he does after every match. Coaches were congratulating us all night on that win. The next morning Cory had the No. 2 seed, Ricky Karzmarczyk who has been a stud wrestler for several years and a multitime state placewinner, in the semifinals, and it was a war. The match was so intense and exciting that I cannot even remember all of the details. What I do remember is that at some point near the third period you could see that Cory believed he could win the match. It was incredible, he just kept attacking in the third period, and his opponent did not know what to do. As the clock was winding down we all started to realize that Cory Roya, a second year wrestler, had just done the impossible. I don't know how many people shed tears after that match, but I know I shed enough for a hundred people by myself. Coach Fournier had to keep me from running on to the mat. It was a very emotional moment for everyone, except Cory. He shook his opponents hand, and offered no celebration as he ran down to the locker room for more sprints. I went down to see him, after I calmed down a bit, as I didn't want my emotions to rattle him, and all he could say was "I have one more, Schramm". Cory's teammates heard all year long about how Cory was going to beat Scramm in the finals. I am not sure anyone believed it, but him. He would workout 2-3 times every day, and push himself hard. It was a dedication that we have rarely seen, and that is why we were all so emotional, because he deserved it. Cory got beat pretty bad in finals by Schramm, who has been a state champion/finalist as long as I can remember going all the way back to youth wrestling. The loss was hard for Cory to take, because he had put everything he had into it, but it did not stop him from getting two workouts in on Sunday.
Cody and Cory have pushed each other all season in the room, and each has part in the other's success. Both were late starters, Cody his 8th grade year, and Cory as a Freshman, and both have two more seasons.
Matt Jolley, 130, Matt has dealt with adversity all year long. He lost a great training partner about mid season, who had decided that wrestling was not for him anymore, several time he struggled with academics, and he had a nagging injury that plagued him all season especially late in the season. Matt had to sit out most of the last month in hopes to rest his hip, and save the strength in it for the state tournament. Matt came into states seeded 6th, and he performed to his seed. That was huge for the team, and huge for Matt.
Artie Busano, 145, had a very good tournament, and a very tough weight class. He had a state champ, and a state finalist to compete with, and he did compete. His semi finals match against Jimmy Zupko from Mount Anthony was a war until the very end. Artie was able to wrestle back through the consi rounds to take 3rd, which was huge for the team. It is not easy to do that after wrestling a hard fought, heart breaking semi finals match. Artie was unable to keep food down most of the day due to nerves, but he battled through and persevered. He was a great leader this year, and much of the team's success was due to him.
Taylor Lozier, 152, had one of the toughest weights in the tournament. There were two state finalists in his weight class, and they were great athletes. Taylor gave the eventual state champion, Devon Grammo, a great match in the semifinals. He took Grammo down a couple of times, and they were tied up going into the third period. Grammo was able to score a takedown in the third that stalled Taylor's momentum, but it was a great match. The Colchester team was impressed with how tough a match it was. Taylor, after suffering a hard loss, was able to win his consi semi match, which put him in a position to be top four. In the thrid place match Taylor's nerves got to him, he started thinking "this could be my last high school match, and what if I lose". His opponent came after him and capitalized on it. Taylor's loss was hard for all of us to watch, coaches, family, and teammates. Like Cory, Taylor had poured his heart into winning states this last year, and when something means that much to you, it is hard to watch it go down the drain. Taylor's real success this season was not only in his own wrestling, but that of his younger teammates who he pushed to help them get the most out of their potential. Taylor was waking guys up early in the morning for summer lift session, and taking guys to the gym when they needed to shed an extra couple of pounds. He was a fantastic leader this year, and that is how we will remember him.
Matt Felix, 171, was another wrestler who dealt with adversity this season. He suffered a late season bout of illness, and like Matt Jolley, had to sit out most of the last month to get rested for the state tournament. Matt was a JV state finalist his sophomore year, and decided not to come out last year. We were glad to see him come finish his career the way it should be done. Matt was not a captain, but he was a great leader none the less. He was seeded 5th, and performed to his seed. Again, Matt's performance was huge for the team, and huge for him.
Jared Rich, 189, had a state champion and a state finalist in his weight class. His semifinals match was a rematch of last years 189 pound state finals. Tanner Palermo from Milton had beaten Jared twice during the regular season, and we knew it was going to be a very close match. Jared rose to the occasion, he wrestled smart, and he was disciplined in his strategy. The match came down to overtime, after a controversial stalling call late in the third period. Jared went on the attack in the overtime period, was able to score a takedown, using a drag that he had been perfecting in practice over the last month specifically for that match. It was another exciting moment for the whole team. Jared's match in the finals was not what we had hoped for, but his opponent had clearly worked hard to get their. Spencer Foucher, the returning state champ from 171, had cut down to 189 from 215, and the difference was noticeable. He was just way too big for Jared. Jared takes his losses with respect, and he doesn't throw a fit, but I think this loss did cut him deeper than he let on. He has already started preparing for next season.
Adam Reed, 215, was dominate the whole tournament. Nobody really put him in danger the whole way through. Adam captured his second consecutive state title and, with his win in the finals, tied Phil Kerin's school record for most career wins at 156. Adam has wrestled with tons of adversity, but it never slowed him down. He has been a man on a mission from day one, and he has led by example the whole way. Adam has a real shot at placing at New Englands this weekend, and it is a goal he has had ever since last season. Adam has been part of every NVAC championship line-up we have had, and three state runners up lineups.
Our coaches Mick Kerin, David Fournier, Ed Lapan, Brian Bailey, and Matt Cappetta, have put many hours into this group of boys, and they have done a terrific job. In my opinion they are the finest group of coaches in any sport. They have sacrificed so much to help our boys, not just to win state titles, but to become good people. The families of the athletes and coaches sacrificed more than most people can imagine to make this season, and past seasons, possible. Our alumni helped with fund-raising and many of them stopped by the room to give one on one help to the athletes. Our fans braved the bad weather to drive down for the state tournament, and support the boys. Jim Higgins wrote a fantastic piece about our leaders this year, and has helped bring knowledge of our sports to those who may have never known that it existed. The TA has done a great job covering our boys who work so hard. Pat Merriam, and the SHS administration have been extremely supportive of wrestling, as well as the facilities staff who have helped us immensely over the years. This was our 4th state runner up finish in the past five seasons, and our 4th consecutive NVAC title.
Thanks to coach O'Meara for the extra effort in getting this information out. His team is one of the silent stars of the winter season, and I wish wrestling would get as much attention as the "mainstream" sports of basketball and hockey. Perhaps with all this national attention on girls wrestling and strong 8-year-olds will help promote the rigors and validity of the sport.
-Anna Grearson