Backed by an impressively rowdy home crowd, the Andover wrestling team routed the Choate Wild Boars in a 60-24 victory. Andover opened the competition with a quick first period pin from Brandon Sneider ’12 at 125 pounds. Andover followed the match with four consecutive pins giving Andover a 30-0 lead. Unfortunately, Faiyad Ahmad ’10 had to injury default after suffering a shoulder injury, but Alex Du ’10 revived the Andover home crowd with an impressive second period pin over a talented opponent. Du was very impressed with the spirit of the crowd. “The room had a great atmosphere. The home crowd was really supportive the entire match,” he said. He continued, saying, “After getting down early, the crowd motivated me to get out from bottom and score points that would eventually lead to a victory.” Andover continued its win streak with a first period pin from Alex Davidson ’12. Coach Rich Gorham ’86 was very impressed with the way Davidson wrestled Coach Gorham said, “Alex is a Lower, wrestling at 215 lbs for us, facing mostly Seniors. He did a really nice job staying tough and using the technique he has to secure the win.” Another highlight for the team included a win from Sven Lerner ’13, who had an impressive second period pin. Not only did this match help Andover extend its lead, but it was also his first Varsity win as an Andover wrestler. Co-Captain Duncan Crystal ’10, who also had recorded a pin, said, “Choate was a young team. While we did do a good job of pinning, if we performed any worse, it would have been a disappointment.” Gorham saifd, “We’re progressing. I was happy with our aggressiveness, but the technique needs improvement. We need to be ready for the toughest competition of the season in the next week.” This weekend, Andover will certainly be tested, with four dual meets. On Friday, Andover takes on perennial wrestling powerhouse Northfield Mount Hermon in an away dual meet. After last year’s heartbreaking loss at home, Andover will look to return the favor and defeat NMH in front of its home crowd. After Andover upset NMH at the Class A Championships, winning by a point and a half. the meet promises to be hard-fought by both teams. Gorham said, “Northfield is the best team on our schedule and our competition for a league title. We have been rivals for years.”
