With numbers on the rise, Leominster wrestling caps off special season
The Leominster High wrestling team rolled out the mat and pumped up the participation this winter, resulting in an impressive dual meet regular-season record of 19-4-2 and the Mid-Wach League Championship.
“This is my third year here, and – finally – we had good numbers,” said Leominster coach Matt Schiller. “We had 45 kids come out for wrestling and about 35 stayed with us for the year, so we had at least two wrestlers per weight class which was huge.”
At the Division 1 state tournament last week the Blue Devils placed 17th out of 47 teams. In addition, 145-pound freshman Troy Greany advanced to the state final and finished as runner-up, the best for a Leominster wrestler since 2004.
MORE: Algonquin's Knapp, Monty Tech's Paulino earn All-State wrestling championships
Also, sophomore Anthuan Lino-Diego placed sixth at 285 pounds, and freshman Dan Greaney, Troy’s twin, was seventh at 132 pounds.
“We had a very good season with a lot of new guys on the team, the most since I began wrestling here,” said senior Isaiah Vega who wrestled at 182 pounds and notched 19 wins.
Other valuable seniors who piled up points this winter included Tadeu Sena (160 pounds) with 18 wins, John Escabi (195 pounds) with 21, Jiovanni Roman (220 pounds) with 13 and Laudon Bercovitz (182 pounds) with seven.
Troy Greaney, who along with Lino-Diego advanced to all-states, led the team in wins with 35, while sophomore Aramis Reyes added 28 in the 170 pound division. Schiller also noted that 120 pound freshman Ray Mwangi earned the team’s most improved award.
“We were all pleased with the season, and we had many wrestlers make great contributions,” said Schiller, who added that key wins for the Devils came over such talented teams as Tyngsborough, Monty Tech and Nashoba.
“The Nashoba win was kind of special because that was the first time I was back there since my coaching days at that school,” said Schiller, a former star at Nashoba while a high school student in the early 1990s with 117 career wins and a state championship runner-up finish. He later wrestled at Norwich University and coached at Nashoba from 2001 until 2011.
Gardner’s Jacob Pervier makes a splash
Back in December, in his first swim meet of the season, Gardner High sophomore Jacob Pervier qualified for the state championship in the 50-yard freestyle.
A versatile swimmer throughout the winter, Pervier went on to qualify for the league meet in six events including the 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly. He finished fourth in the 50 and third in the 100, with a season-best time. Then came three events in the Central/West Sectionals, where he placed sixth in the 50 freestyle. the 50 and 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly.
The following week at the state meet, Pervier finished fourth in the 50 free with a time of 22.37 seconds, his best of the season and 13th in the 100 with another personal best of 50.20.
“I try to take only four deep breaths throughout the 100 race. I try to get all the oxygen I can get,” said the 6-foot-3 Pervier, who attends Narragansett Regional which co-ops with the Wildcats.
“We are extremely proud of the work Jacob has put in this season,” said Gardner coach Lisa Arsenault who swam for the late legendary Wildcat girls’ coach Don Lemieux in the late 1990s. “Watching him take so much time off his races from last year when he did not qualify for the states was very impressive. Also, as a sophomore captain, he’s a great leader in and out of the pool with a strong work ethic. He’s always looking to improve his technique and find ways to be faster, and I have no doubt he will continue to improve over the next two years.”
Shuffling off to Buffalo
Algonquin wrestling star Rafael Knapp, who captured the state championship in the 170-pound division earlier this month after defeating Chelmsford’s Jack Walsh in the title match, has accepted a scholarship to wrestle at Division 1 University of Buffalo in the fall.
Recently, Knapp, ranked No. 1 in New England with over 40 victories this winter and over 115 in his high school career, became the first All-State champion in Algonquin history with a win over Norton’s Gabe Thomasson.
“Rafael Knapp has to be the hardest working wrestler in New England, without a doubt,” praised his fellow senior captain Kazunari Conway.
Pioneer’s Picard sets school record
St. John's junior Joel Picard, who finished fourth in the diving competition at the recent Division 1 state meet, set a school record for points during his 11 dives at the Catholic Conference Meet. He also placed first in diving in the Central/West Sectional Meet.
—Contact Jay Gearan at sports@telegram.com.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Leominster wrestling caps off special season
