Sports

Wrestling Loses to NMH, N. Andover; Destroys Both Providence and Tilton

Andover wrestling went 2-1 at a home quad-meet, losing to NMH, 44-26, before beating Providence Country Day, 66-3, and Tilton, 57-24. Senior Dan Hackney ’05 and co-captain Gabe Worgaftik ’06 led the way; each going 3-0 with 2 pins on the day. On Wednesday at North Andover, PA suffered a crushing loss, winning only two matches and losing the meet 62-9. Against NMH, co-captain Mark Shvartsman ’05 started off the meet at 135 pounds against the Hogger’s best wrestler, and won a close 5-4 decision to give Andover a 3-0 lead. It was the last time Andover would have the lead as NMH then won four straight to create a 23-3 lead. Hackney and Alex Bois ’05 won back-to-back decisions to put Andover within striking distance. But despite a Wale Adedokun ’05 9-0 major decision over the NMH heavyweight and a big first round pin by Worgaftik, NMH proved the better team that day, easily winning the meet 44-26. Next, Andover faced an outmatched PCD for the second time this season. Once again, Andover wrestlers had an easy win. With pins by Shvartsman, Gordon Murphy ’06, Hackney, Hector Cintron ’08, Adedokun, and Akshay Paintal ’07, and several forfeits, Andover effortlessly blew past its opponent. In addition, Andrei Manda ’07 had his first varsity pin at the 215 pound weight class. However, the highlight of the competition was Worgaftik’s big overtime win against the wrestler that gave him his only loss of the season so far. With only one loss and twelve wins, PA overwhelmed PCD, winning 66-3. Andover finished the day with another win over Tilton. Randy Garcia ’06, Nick Bowen ’06, Hackney and Worgaftik had pins, and Kassie Archambault ’06 moved up a weight class but still won a 9-2 decision. Tilton kept it close with several victories until Andover benefited from a string of five forfeits to seal the win. For the second time this season, Andover beat Tilton, winning 57-24. On Wednesday at North Andover, the toughest opponent of the season, Andover wrestlers only managed to win two matches. Coach Richard Gorham said about the day, “The meet proved a valuable experience for PA as they prepare for the upcoming tournament season.” Adedokun pinned the North Andover heavyweight, and Shvartsman won a 6-2 decision at 135 pounds. North Andover, with one of the best public school wrestling programs in the state proved too much for Andover, as it extended its winning streak to 25 meets, crushing the PA wrestling team 62-9. Andover now stands 11-5 on the season and 7-3 in the Class A league. Co-Captain Worgaftik said, “This was a tough week highlighted by some solid individual performances. NMH and North Andover showed us that we have a long ways to go, but this should be a valuable learning experience for the upcoming tournament.”