Winter Sports Wrestling

Andover Goes on Three-Game Win Streak

Marisol Nugent ’20 threw her opponent onto the mat 14 seconds into her match and secured a pin within 20 seconds. In its dual meet on Saturday, Andover Wrestling went on to defeat Avon Old Farms 45-30 and Long Island Lutheran 54-29 at the Bidstrup Duals held at Tabor Academy. Andover’s record now stands at 5-9.

Andover was able to read and capitalize upon its opponents’ weaknesses, according to Eamon Garrity-Rokous ’20.
“Our team saw that when our opponents were backing up, we were dictating the pace of the match and not only how we moved, but how our opponents moved as well. We had them on their toes, reacting to our shots and offense,” said Garrity-Rokous.

In addition to Nugent, Co-Captain Pierce Bausano ’18, Adam Cohen ’18, and Garrity-Rokous all secured pins for Andover against Avon Old Farms, contributing vital points that led the team to success.

Bausano used his awareness of the mat on Saturday to defeat his opponent and secure a crucial win for Andover, according to Garrity-Rokous and Nugent.
“Pierce also put his opponent from Avon Old Farms on his back with great mat awareness, as he kept his feet inbounds, securing the well-needed back points for the team,” said Garrity-Rokous.

Nugent added, “Pierce has scored a lot of pins for our team lately, which has helped with our team scores, and we’ve been able to be competitive with a lot of solid teams.”

According to Garrity-Rokous, Co-Captain Pablo Sanchez ’19 earned another win for the team after persevering through a long match against his opponent from Avon Old Farms.

“Pablo Sanchez had a long, tough match against Avon Old Farms, which he stuck through and won in the end,” said Garrity-Rokous.
Later in the day, Nick Masri ’19, Jack O’Neil ’19, and Garrity-Rokous earned pins on the mat for Andover against Long Island Lutheran.
Despite suffering a loss against her opponent from Long Island Lutheran, Nugent wrestled a tough match against a nationally top-ranked wrestler, according to Garrity-Rokous.

“Marisol Nugent stood out, as she wrestled an exceptionally tough opponent from Long Island Lutheran, ranked top-ten at [the National Prep Wrestling Championships]. Even though she lost, she came back to the Girls Tournament the very next day and pinned her way through the finals. I think that resiliency goes to show how much Marisol has improved her mental toughness over the course of the season,” said Garrity-Rokous.

Moving forward, Andover hopes to improve its composure and ability in top and bottom situations, according to Nugent.

“Our team is tough; on the mat we fight for all our points and defend pretty well in neutral. We need to work on riding on the top and being able to escape and get off of our backs on bottom. Basically, our team is really strong in neutral but struggles to gain confidence in other positions. We’re tough on top and bottom but are missing a few key things that will help us win close matches such as quick escapes and reversals on bottom and quick turns on top,” said Nugent.

Andover will compete in the Northern New England Invitational Tournament at Hyde (ME) this Saturday.