Team | Final |
---|---|
Methuen | 37 |
North Andover | 30 |
Thursday, January, 29 By Jeff Hamrick
NORTH ANDOVER — Anyone looking for some heat in a frightful week could have found some much needed heavyweight sizzle in the North Andover High School gymnasium.
On
a night that featured four lead changes and a tie in the first eight
bouts alone, Methuen remained undefeated on the season with a tough
37-30 victory over the defending Division 2 state champion Scarlet
Knights in a matchup of perennial area powers.
The outcome wasn't
secure until Ranger heavyweight Angel Ramos, a part time starter,
earned a 3-1 decision over Dauma Fernandez, but coach Bill James
received several pivotal performances earlier.
Maybe the biggest
came at 152 when sophomore Trevor Abdallah needed only 41.8 seconds to
pin Costa Vergados, was moved up from his normal 145. The win put the
Rangers (20-0) ahead for good at 22-18.
"I was just thinking
about winning for the team," Trevor Abdallah said. "I knew I needed to
get a pin or a major (decision) to help my team out. This is obviously a
big match for us coming in undefeated against a very good team. To get a
win is very good for us."
Before Abdallah put the Rangers ahead,
however, twin brother Travis ignited Methuen a 13-12 lead with a 9-6
decision over Adrian Polanco at 132. After a scoreless first period, the
two combined for 14 points in the second, when Abdallah turned a 3-0
deficit into a 6-3 advantage in a matter of seconds. North Andover's
Conor O'Sullivan, however, put the Scarlet Knights (16-5) back up by
five with a pin over Cam Heffernan.
Dan O'Connell set up Trevor Abdallah's 145-pound bout with a 7-5 decision over Kyle Milovanovic.
"That
132 pound match was huge," said James, who earned his 252nd career
victory. "I thought basically from 132 to 145, those would be the key
(weights) for a win and for us to win two out of three was big for us.
That was a big win by Travis and then Trevor did the job at 52."
North
Andover clawed to within one with a pin by Fritz Hoehn at 170 and a
decision by Stephen Cincotta at 6-0. Saul Cabrera, however, put the
Rangers ahead by seven with Methuen's fourth pin of the evening.
"In my head I knew all I had to do was get some points," said Cabrera, who improved to 30-3.
The
victory was Methuen's first over North Andover since a 34-33 win in
2011, which was the last time it went undefeated — an accomplishment
the Rangers can match with victories over Chelmsford, Haverhill and
Central Catholic to close out the regular season.
"Every MVC
match is a battle," said James, whose squad had lost its past two
matches over the Knights by a combined 96-38. "But we have a lot of
challenges ahead of us. These kids are smart enough to know that nothing
is going to be given."
106: Matt Berube, M, pinned Nate Green 2:42; 113: Jack Perry, NA, pinned christian Clermont 1:56; 120: Billy Wehring, M, dec. Connor Ford 11-0; 126: Stephen Manning, NA, pinned Ranzel Ramos 4:55; 132: Travis Abdallah, M, dec. Adrian Polanco 9-6; 138: Conor O'Sullivan, NA, pinned Cam Heffernan 3:18; 145: Dan O'Connell, M, dec. Kyle Milovanovic 7-5; 152: Trevor Abdallah, M, pinned Costa Vergados 0:46; 160: Travis Manick, M, pinned Vinnie Greco 1:18; 170: Fritz Hoehn, NA, pinned Dan Aziz 1:18; 182: Stephen Cincotta, NA, dec. Darius Franklin 6-0; 195: Saul Cabrera, pinned Mookie Messina 2:32; 220: Kyros Vergados, NA, dec. Alex Lima 7-5; HVY: Angel Ramos, M, dec. Dauma Fernandez 3-1
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