The ConVal wrestling team will take on the best of Division III at Saturday’s state championship meet at Bow, where the Cougars have a few contenders for individual championships.
Head coach Abe Ewing said his team rebounded well this winter after missing all of last season due to ConVal’s COVID protocols, his two dozen Cougars putting in the work each and every day regardless of their experience levels.
“That’s the biggest takeaway,” Ewing said. “This group of kids, even though they aren’t bringing banners home from every tournament, they’re rugged, they’re 24 kids choosing hard work every day, they haven’t been wrestling forever, so they take their lumps, but they just keep coming back.”
ConVal’s Chris Robbins will lead the Cougars at the state meet; he’s the No. 1 seed at 170 lbs. and appears to be on a collision course with Plymouth’s Matthew Cleary, son of Plymouth head coach and ConVal wrestling legend Randy Cleary.
Ewing is confident in Robbins’ chances – after all, he beat Cleary 7-1 just a week ago – but cautiously so.
“Anything can happen,” Ewing said. “We look forward to it.”
Senior Cam Jordan is in an exceptionally tough bracket at 132 lbs. The 2020 126-lb. champ, Jordan is the fourth seed behind wrestlers from Campbell, Newport and Plymouth.
“One of them is going to be the odd man out,” Ewing said, regarding the Meet of Champions berth awarded to the top three finishers.
Senior Trace Borozinski looks promising at 285 lbs. as the No. 1 seed of three competitors, though second-seeded Hayden Robinson of Raymond will be a challenging opponent.
The remainder of the Cougars didn’t draw quite as high seeds, but could still find some success on the mats at Bow Saturday. ConVal won’t have John Henley and Teagan Lightfoot, both injured at 113 and 121 lbs., which will leave a void in the Cougars’ scoresheet. Seth Fowler hopes to make a run at some hardware at 106, but a nagging injury may slow him down.
Ewing said Max Vassar is looking to “make some noise” with his cradle series at 126 lbs.
“His build is hard to wrestle,” Ewing said of the lanky senior.
Junior Everett Benham is still coming into his own after missing his freshman year due to injury, and while promising, he’ll have a tough row to hoe as the sixth seed at 138 lbs.
Sophomore CJ Tillman has overcome some growing pains this season and enters the crowded 145-lb. bracket as the fifth-seed on a four-match win streak.
“Now is a great time to be hot,” Ewing said.
Tyler Sullivan is the fourth seed at 152 lbs., though he may be hampered by a bout of knee. bursitis
Aiden “Brisket” Brissette will look to give the Cougars some energy at 160 lbs. As the rare underclassman in a senior-dominated weight class, Brissette gets by on endurance and heart.
“He’s like the Energizer Bunny,” Ewing said of his never-quit attitude.
Kast Chek is in a similar boat at 182 lbs. The freshman made some waves this winter by working hard and staying in matches that he shouldn’t have been in, Ewing said, so the possibilities are endless.
Lastly, Solomon Page will be in action at 195 lbs. Ewing said sophomore is really finding his own style; Page had a huge performance in last week’s dual meet against Manchester Memorial, where he fought off an imminent pin to in the final match of the contest to give ConVal the victory.
“Had he given up the pin, we would have lost the dual,” Ewing said.
Senior Gareth Armstrong won’t compete at the state meet, as he opted to maintain an offensive lineman’s physique this winter rather than drop down to heavyweight, but he’s been a bigg supporter for the team this season, Ewing said, running the show from behind the microphone at home meets.
ConVal also had some nice performances at the JV state championships on Saturday, where Gabe Young got a couple wins, and Chi Fowler made an noteworthy pin on a suicide cradle maneuver.
“That was glorious,” Ewing said.