Shawsheen wins Division 1 state title in honor of late coach Mark Donovan
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Donovan died of cancer in 2021, but his legacy continues as the Rams move up to the biggest school division each time alignments are reset.
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It was not without drama for Shawsheen, which amassed 160 points to finish ahead of Central Catholic (157.5). The score stood at these numbers as the Raiders had three more finalists to wrestle.
D1: James Tildsley gets the tech fall at 150 for the title!
— AJ (@aj_traub)
Methuen junior Vinny DeMaio earned a decision at 175. With 2 seconds left, Taunton senior Elijah Prophete came up with a go-ahead takedown at 190. Then, Haverhill junior Matt Harrold, who lost the match that made Shawsheen a Lowell Holiday champ two years ago, came up with a pin at 215.
D1: Late takedown for the win by Elijah Prophete! He gets the decision at 190 pounds to repeat as champ (last year at 215)
— AJ (@aj_traub)
'That kid Prophete, last second takedown was amazing,' said Sid Tildsley, who has now led
'He helped us twice, so I owe Matt Harrold a steak dinner.'
'I worked a whole year for this,' he said, 'I manifested this, worked every single day to become a champion. I feel very complete, but the job's not finished yet.'
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D1: Dante Giusti with the major decision at 120 to beat the defending champion!
— AJ (@aj_traub)
Though Giusti never wrestled for Donovan, but he appreciates the gravity of what he and his team just did.
'The coaches mean a lot to me,' he said. 'They've been a huge part of getting me where I am. Making them happy, even if I never knew Mark Donovan, is definitely great.'
Added James Tildsley: 'It was definitely great. To do this in the memory of Mark Donovan, it was something he always wanted to do, so now we got it for him. He's definitely happy up wherever he is now.'
In the girls' tournament, Framingham scored 73 points to finish 1 ahead of defending champion Lowell. Adriana DeGroat (120 pounds) and Leah Condriet (132) pinned their finals matches to clinch it for the Flyers, with Jaymie Last (138) earning second and Parker Robles (100) finishing fourth.
D1 girls: Adriana DeGroat with a quick pin to repeat at 120!
— AJ (@aj_traub)
'I'm so happy for the girls,' said coach Erik Delehanty. 'We had three seniors on the team and they all started as freshmen. They never wrestled before, so they learned from the ground up. When you have someone like Adriana who comes in as a freshman and has experience… They mentor her but in the same time, in terms of the wrestling, she kind of helped mentor them.'
'It's very special and I'm so glad we could get it done as a team,' said DeGroat. 'Individually I was hunting for a title, but I really wanted that team title and I'm so happy that Leah and Jaymie could get it done.'
Division 1 Boys
at North Andover
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106 pounds — Johnny Woodall, Franklin def. Nathan Morales, Andover, MD, 8-0.
113 pounds — Cole Glynn, Central Catholic def. Anthony Bojourquez, New Bedford, Fall, 3:06.
120 pounds — Dante Giusti, Shawsheen def. Cale Wood Jr., Haverhill, MD, 11-3.
126 pounds — Braedon Goes, St. John's Prep def. Nate Sayers, Xaverian, Decision, 5-4.
132 pounds — Yandel Morales, Andover def. George McAteer, Xaverian, Tech fall, 19-3, 5:04.
138 pounds — Sid Tildsley, Shawsheen def. Cooper Wiebe, Monty Tech, forfeit.
144 pounds — Jimmy Lally, St. John's Prep def. Dan Greaney, Leominster, MD, 13-4.
150 pounds — James Tildsley, Shawsheen def. Troy Greaney, Leominster, TF, 21-6, 3:23.
157 pounds — Caden Smith, Central Catholic def. Michael Canada, Chelmsford, DEC, 4-2.
165 pounds — Joseph Baker, Beverly def. Logan Holmes, Shawsheen, TF, 21-2, 4:51.
175 pounds — Vincent Demaio, Methuen def. Rhys Dewar, Central Catholic, DEC, 11-4.
190 pounds — Elijah Prophete, Taunton def. Caden Chase, Central Catholic, DEC, 6-4.
215 pounds — Matt Harrold, Haverhill def. Jackson Meehan, Central Catholic, F, 2:50.
285 pounds — Thomas Brown, Chelmsford def. Alex Bajoras, St. John's Prep, DEC, 13-7.
Team results — 1. Shawsheen, 160; 2. Central Catholic, 157.5; 3. St. John's Prep, 129; 4. Chelmsford, 106; 5. Andover, 90.5; 6. Haverhill, 88; 7. Natick, 87.5; 8. Taunton, 81.5; 9. Springfield Central, 76.5; 10. New Bedford, 75.5.
Division 1 Girls
at North Andover
100 pounds — Lillie Normandie, Tyngsborough def. Megan Roney, Wellesley, decision, 16-9.
107 pounds — Anna Felicio, Saugus def. Alexia Henriquez, North Andover, tech fall, 16-1, 2:44.
114 pounds — Ava Svistunov, Belmont def. Saphira Sao, Lowell, fall, 1:44.
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120 pounds — Adriana DeGroat, Framingham def. Maria Baldwin, Winchester, fall, 1:35.
126 pounds — Kamila Vizcinesk, Arlington def. Madeline Ngo, Newton North, decision, 7-0.
132 pounds — Leah Condriet, Framingham def. Solimary Cruz-Sedan, Springfield Central, fall, 3:33.
138 pounds — Asher Polanco, Methuen def. Jaymie Last, Framingham, tech fall, 17-0, 5:13.
145 pounds — Janessa Santiago, Methuen def. Mayanah Cabrera, Springfield Central, fall, 2:26.
165 pounds — Amada Moundele, Lowell def. Samantha Wenstrom, King Philip, fall, 1:26.
185 pounds — Kaleigh Fuller, Monty Tech def. Hillary MacDonald, Lawrence, fall, 4:32.
Team results — 1. Framingham, 73; 2. Lowell, 72; 3. Springfield Central, 63; 4. North Andover, 47.5; 5. Methuen, 47; 6. King Philip, 46; 7. Durfee, 41; 8. Belmont, 39; 9. Winchester, 31; 10. Lawrence, 28.
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