Adrian, Hebert make history for Melrose in Division 3 wrestling

Having coached for four decades, it’s tough to accomplish something that makes Melrose’s Larry Tremblay search his memory bank, but Red Raider seniors Hunter Adrian and Sean Herbert did in Wayland on Saturday as each won their fourth individual state title.

“I don’t know if that’s ever been done before,” said Tremblay.

Adrian, Herbert and sophomore Sean Thomas all took their weight class to lead Melrose to the Division 3 team crown with 154.5 points, easily outdistancing host Wayland with 113.

Adrian and Herbert, sparring partners since elementary school, were freshmen on the program’s only other Div. 3 titlist in 2017. Adrian, now 207-6 in his career, registered an 18-3 technical fall at 126 pounds on his way to being named Most Outstanding Wrestler and also winning the award for most pins in the least time.

“It’s very rewarding,” said Adrian. “Kids are peaking at the right time.”

Herbert scored an 8-4 decision at 152. While Adrian’s four titles have come consecutively, Herbert’s first came as an eighth-grader before winning the last three. Neither has lost to an in-state opponent this year.

“It the icing on the cake, with the year we had in football and now the way this team came together,” said Herbert. “It’s a storybook ending.”

Thomas got the finals started with 9-0 win at 106. Melrose had wrestlers place in the top six of half of the 14 weight classes to give Tremblay his eighth crown – the first with the Red Raiders after seven at Winchester.

“Yesterday in the first round, we pinned a lot of people and I think that catapulted us out into a pretty nice lead,” said Tremblay. “I was ready for us to have a bad round in the quarters or the semis, but we never did.”

Adrian and Herbert weren’t the only wrestlers to leave Wayland with multiple Div. 3 individual titles to their name. Sandwich’s Connor Keegan won at 126 to claim his second straight, as did Holliston’s Brian Garry at 132, both bumping up a weight class from last year. Garry’s 152nd career victory broke the school record.

Taconic had a pair of state champs in Dylan Burke at 195 and Shawn O’Shea at 220. Wakefield’s Joao Valdevino was lone finalist to pin, winning by fall in the third period at 160, while Gloucester’s Liam Donahue joined Adrian in recording a technical fall with a 15-0 triumph at 145.

Ashland’s Benny Herrera (113), Middleboro’s Jaden Estrada (140), Triton’s Anthony Ostrander (170), Hampshire’s Michael Baldwin (182) and Quabbin’s Tristan Kemp (285) won titles by decision.

DIVISION 3 WRESTLING

106 – Sean Thomas (Melrose) def. Nick Lupiani (Mt. Everett), 9-0

113 – Benny Herrera (Ashland) def. John Mahony (Mahar), 6-1

120 – Hunter Adrian (Melrose) def. Tre Aulson (Georgetown-Ipswich), 18-3 tech fall

126 – Connor Keegan (Sandwich) def. Joe Ganley (Wilmington), 6-1

132 – Brian Garry (Holliston) def. Mike LaFreneire (Taconic), 8-0

140 – Jaden Estrada (Middleboro) def. Greg Deeley (Wayland), 6-3

145 — Liam Donahue (Gloucester) def Nic Williamson (Pentucket), 15-0 tech fall

152 – Sean Herbert (Melrose) def. Daniel Noonan (Cohasset), 8-4

160 – Joao Valdevino (Wakefield) pinned Victor Rodriguez (Melrose), 5:41

170 – Anthony Ostrander (Triton) def. Cameron Jones (Wayland), 4-0

182 – Michael Baldwin (Hampshire) def. Spencer Fetrow (Holliston), 7-1

195 – Dylan Burke (Taconic) def. Jake Long (Hanover/Norwell), 12-0

220 – Shawn O’Shea (Taconic) def. Nero Bono (Keefe Tech), 7-3

285 – Tristan Kemp (Quabbin) def. Matt Morris (Wayland), 7-3

TEAM TOTALS (TOP 5): 1. Melrose 154.5; 2. Wayland 113; 3. Taconic 88.5; 4. Holliston 85.5; 5 Norton 80

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2STxtir