Sports Winter Sports Wrestling

Wrestling Struggles to Pin Strong Opponents

After a prolonged struggle in the center of the ring, Christian Milotte ’16 pinned his opponent to secure crucial points in a close match against Avon Old Farms.

On Saturday, Andover squared off against Avon Old Farms and St. Johnsbury and lost 36-42 and 6-71, respectively.

“Everyone on the team fought really hard against Avon. From 106 all the way up to 285, the matches were intense and well done,” said Ian Blythe ’16. “As a whole the team’s technique has improved, and it is beginning to show in matches that might have ended differently earlier this year.”

Early on in the meet, Alex Cleveland ’17 and Quint Finney ’18 both pinned their opponents with relative ease, starting off the tournament strong.

Avon countered Andover’s advantage with three consecutive wins. Then, Holden Ringer ’17, wrestling in the 145 weight class, fought hard against his opponent and sealed the matchup with an 11-4 win. Blythe followed suit and won his match by a 5-1 margin.

Ringer said, “Wrestling is all a big lesson that beats you up so life doesn’t chew you up and spit you out. I’m wrestling some senior captain every week and they’ll kick the crap out of me, but I soak it up and feel it store in my brain and go into practice to try and emulate these fantastic wrestlers.”

Andover continued its excellent form with two pins in the 170 and 182-pound weight classes. First, Milotte ended his match with 2:48 still left on the clock. Then, John Little ’15 pinned his opponent 5:35 into the match.

Tied up at 36-36, it all came down to the last matchup. Avon’s impressive heavy weight was enough to secure a pin just under two minutes into the match, sealing Avon’s victory 36-42.

Milotte said, “Avon showed a lot of grit too: we had started a real comeback by the final bout, but their determination and ‘never-say-die’ attitude is what allowed them to pull through.”

After this close, disappointing loss, Andover faced off against the St. Johnsbury wrestling team from Vermont, one of the most competitive public school teams. Andover fell to the tough competition 6-71.“

Occasionally, our shots were too sloppy, and we didn’t have faith in our own abilities,” said Milotte.

Alex Humphreys ’15 was the only wrestler from Andover to snag a victory against St. Johnsbury, pinning his opponent in the second period.

Blyth said, “Humphreys put up some solid points for the team which was good, but overall they were definitely a stronger team than us.”

Andover cannot afford to dwell on the past, and the team looks to step up its game at the Northerns tournament on Saturday.

Ringer said, “A big morale booster is the coaches’ attitude. They are always optimistic about our team and [that] bodes well for the people in the program. … There is hope, especially going into this weekend. Northerns is a tournament where people should be able to perform well.”