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| Bristol Central coaches and wrestlers watch Wednesday’s dual meet at Bristol Eastern. |
Bristol Central wrestling knew it was in for a major uphill climb in Wednesday night’s dual meet against undefeated Bristol Eastern.
The Rams battled throughout the meet, but were overmatched in a 60-12 loss to the third-ranked (state coaches’ poll) Lancers inside the Thomas A. Monahan Gymnasium.
“We fought hard, fought through it,” Central head coach Matt Boissonneault said of his team.
Boissonneault gave credit to the Lancers.
“They’re a good team, their entire lineup,” Boissonneault said. “They don’t really have any holes.”
There were some strong efforts from the Rams.
Senior Jeremy Ganavage was bumped up a weight class to 170 pounds and took a close loss against Trinidad Gonzalez. At 195, junior Damian Mahaffy battled before losing on an overtime takedown to Keegan Bartis. Junior John Duncan had an early takedown in the 285 match before losing to Andrew Cercone.
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| Mike Guzman, right, picked up Bristol Central’s first points of the night with a pin at 220. |
In between Mahaffy and Cercone, junior Mike Guzman scored a pin at 220 for the first Central points of the meet.
“Mike Guzman had a great match, had that pin at the end,” Boissonneault said.
Guzman showed that hard work pays off.
“If you’re outworking them, good things happen,” Boissonneault said.
At 126, senior captain Travis Parsons remained composed and battled to a decision over his opponent.
At 106, standout junior Chris Trelli claimed a decision over best friend Bryce Beebe.
“He really did a great job of being a role model,” Boissonneault said of Trelli, who’s had to take on more of a leadership role.
The seniors have been solid leaders, but injuries hurt the Rams. Senior Connor Staubley was lost for the season with a leg injury. Seniors Mike Paloka and Patrick Kenney were also lost to injuries.
Several young wrestlers have been thrown into the fire.
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| Junior Chris Trelli, left, has taken on more of a leadership role this season. |
“We try to work with what we have, and deal with the cards we’ve been dealt,” Boissonneault said.
In those matches, however, those young wrestlers have gained valuable experience and learned some important lessons that can only be learned in competition.
The quasi-tournament the CCC holds is Saturday, but Central’s biggest focus is on Feb. 17-18. That’s when the Class L state tournament happens, and it will be held at Bristol Central High School.
“We’re trying to be at our best for the postseason,” Boissonneault said. “That’s most important.”
The Rams have time to get ready, and they hope to peak on their home mats next weekend.
