Wrestling: Taconic, Mount Everett, Monument Mountain go 1-2-3 at Mountie Invitational | Local Sports
WILLIAMSTOWN — Mount Greylock welcomed seven wrestling teams to its gymnasium on Sunday in the 29th annual Mountie Invitational.
It was a good weekend to be a grappler from Berkshire County. The four local teams took the top four spots in the team standings, with Taconic winning the event outright with 181 points. Mount Everett (135) and Monument Mountain (105) both had multiple individual champions and cleared triple-digit points, while the host Mounties (82) had one winner and placed fourth.
There were 14 weight classes contested in a round robin format, and 12 of the individual winners represented county schools. Taconic had five champions and took 12 podium spots.
Mount Everett’s Omar Cruz won the 138-pound class at the Mountie Invitational on Sunday.
Owen Brennan got the Green and Gold started by winning at 132 pounds. He went 3-0, highlighted by a last-second pin in the first period against Greylock’s Seth Blanchard. Noah Poirier then took 152 with a 3-0 mark that featured three pins. He took down Monument’s William Howard in 59 seconds to finish off the weight class.
Joe LaFreniere was the victor at 182 pounds, going 2-0 with a bye. Monument’s Luke Hartshorn nearly took him the distance, but LaFreniere scored a pin in 5:37. Hartshorn was runner up.
At 195 pounds, Ethan Nicholls only wrestled twice to pick up the win, but both matches went into the third period. He fell Greylock’s Jacob Mucci in 5:40 and then Northampton’s Dillon Green in 4:36. Ben West went 3-0 for Taconic to win at 170 pounds. He scored a couple quick pins before lining up for a showdown against Aiden MacPherson of Mount Greylock. The went a full 6 minutes, but it was West who racked up points throughout to claim the win and the division with a 15-6 decision.
Mount Everett carded four champions, a pair of runner-ups and one third-place finish.
It was quite an early string for the Eagles, who swept the 120, 126 and 138-pound weight classes. Everett was strong throughout the lower weights, and Diego Cruz got things started with a 4-0 mark at 106 pounds. He took down three different Taconic foes, all with pins in the first period, en route to his title.
Nick Lupiani worked quickly and effectively at 120, pinning three opponents all in the first period. The grand total of time those foes lasted against Lupiani was 2:05 across three matches.
Tyler Candelari wrestled twice after getting a bye, and pinned both of his foes in the opening period to take home top honors at 126 pounds.
Omar Cruz finished his Sunday with a 3-1 mark, falling only to Quinn Whaley of Greylock. Otherwise, the Eagle had three pins, and sealed his win by falling Hampshire’s Alex Willard in 3:53. Whaley placed third, with Willard second.
Monument Mountain’s 105 points came via two champions and five top-three spots.
Colin Kinne broke up the Eagles’ domination with a win at 113 pounds. He took down second-place Connor Lupiani of Mount Everett via a 10-1 decision. It was a 5-0 day for Kinne, with three pins. His finale featured a pin of the Eagles’ Max Manning with just five seconds remaining in the opening period. Manning finished third.
Monument’s Westley Vansant was the other Spartan on top Sunday, taking the 285-pound class with a 3-0 mark. He pinned all three of his foes, shoring up his victory with a 54-second pin of Taconic’s Mason Cortis in the day’s 95th bout.
The host Mounties did successfully defend their home mat through the 160-pound weight class. That was where Aaron Bush went to work and put together a sterling 4-0 mark with four pins. That run included a fall of second-place Broc Healey of Taconic at 1:59 of the opening period. Only Luke Johndrow of Hampshire took Bush into a second frame.
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