281.5 overall team points and undefeated Co-Captain Shaun Stuer ’09 propelled Phillips Academy to the title at the Northern New England Invitational Tournament last weekend. Andover sent 21 wrestlers into tournament action to compete against the best in New England. At the end of the day, seven of these wrestlers emerged as individual champions. Led by Stuer, seven other wrestlers including Colton Dempsey ’12, Duncan Crystal ’10, Ryan Gaiss ’11, Ben Elder ’09, Scott Sanderson ’09, and Sam Dodge ’09 also found victory. Among these wrestlers, 20 pins were recorded. Eight other wrestlers also placed in the top four for their weight class, led by a second place finish from Alex Gottfried ’09. This past Wednesday, Andover wrestled against historic rival Phillips Exeter Academy. Andover carried over its domination to the home meet against Exeter. To open the meet, Andover went on a 20-0 point streak, not allowing their opponents to score a single point until the 145 pound weight class faced off. At the end of the day, Exeter was held to 28 team points, while Andover racked up 46. Stuer capped the dual meet season by going undefeated for the second consecutive year, pushing his career total record to 44-0. Andover’s busy schedule continues, with the Class A Invitational at Tabor Academy this Saturday. This continual competition seems to be the force behind a surging team. With quad and dual meets every week, along with rigorous practices daily, the Andover boys are gaining confidence and toughness. “This is a team that wants to work hard. When we have really tough practices, they are happier,” said Coach Gorham. Class A’s will be Andover’s first chance to avenge their early season loss to NMH on one of the biggest stages of the year. Last year, Andover finished a tough second to NMH. This year, Andover holds much more talent in many more weight classes. Its strong freshman class has played a large role in successfully holding off high-ranking teams such as Loomis, Tabor, Choate, and Episcopal Academy. The season is winding down, but the most exhilarating action is yet to unfold.
