Co-Captain Colton Dempsey ’12 was honored as the Most Outstanding Wrestler in the Class A tournament at Hyde School last Saturday. For the second consecutive year, Andover Wrestling took second place out of thirteen teams, finishing the prestigious tournament with a combined total of 196 points. Powerhouse and reigning champion NMH placed first with 243.5 points. To top off its incredible team finish, Andover also crowned three individual champions. Number one seed at 152lbs, this is Dempsey’s third Class A title in his career. Dempsey is only the second wrestler in school history to achieve such a feat. Number one seed at 132lbs, Co-Captain Brandon Sneider ’12 took his second career Class A crown after a close final match in which he took down his opponent in the final seconds. Both Dempsey’s and Sneider’s success at the Class A tournament contributed to movement in the school’s all-time wins list. Dempsey is now tied for third with 96 wins and Sneider is tied for tenth with a total of 78 wins. Also snatching his second Class A title at 120 pounds was Christian Vallis ’14, who now has a chance to take four titles in four years. In addition to Andover’s three champions, the team’s second place performance was also fueled by an array of second, fourth, fifth, and sixth place finishes. At 160lbs, number two seed Anthony Tedesco ’12 finished second after three wins, including two pins, before falling to the number one seed from NMH in the finals. Sven Lerner ’12, the number two seed at 138lbs, had a similar story, pinning two opponents before being defeated by the number one seed from NMH. Number three seed James Palmer ’14, wrestling at 170lbs, and unseeded Paul Tulungen ’14, wrestling at 106lbs, both took fourth place in their respective weight classes. Each had a pin in the opening rounds. Tulungen had a strong outing, as he took down an opponent whom he had previously lost to. Andover’s depth was a huge factor in its success, as even its more inexperienced wrestlers placed in the tournament, adding crucial points to the team’s total. Number eight seeded Min Jae Yoo ’12, with two pins, and unseeded Matt Simon ’14, with one pin, both took fifth place in their respective weight classes. Nikhil Baradwaj ’13, wrestling at 126lbs, Alex Davidson ’12, wrestling at 220lbs, and Khalil Blassingame ’12, wrestling at 285lbs, all placed sixth. Each had at least one pin in the earlier rounds of the tournament. As the point totals were tallied, every point proved to count for Andover as it narrowly beat out Choate for second place by just twelve points. Looking forward, Andover Wrestling’s next outing will be the Prep New England Tournament on Friday and Saturday at NMH. Seven Andover wrestlers have qualified for the tournament. Tulungen, Vallis, Sneider, Lerner, Dempsey, Tedesco and Palmer will all compete this weekend, with a chance to move on to the Prep National Tournament in Lehigh, Pennsylvania.
