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Unsung Wise making his mark for unbeaten Haverhill

On a team with a lot of wins, with several good individuals, it's somethimes tough to get the notice you deserve.

Such is the case for Haverhill junior Steven Wise, who was 35-12 last year and rarely got mentioned as one of the team's top wrestlers.

That should be changing this year, however, and Saturday was a good reason why. He had four pins in four matches as the unbeaten Hillies won four meets at home to improve to 8-0 after going 19-4 last year.

For the season, Wise leads the team in wins with 13 and is tied for the lead in pins with 10.

"Steven's someone who has been overlooked a lot because he's (Jake) Nicolosi's best friend and Jake has had a lot of success," said Haverhill coach Tim Lawlor. "He came into the season with 70 wins, which puts him on pace for being one of the career leaders when he's through.

"He's got a lot of talent and he's a funky wrestler. He gets in unusual positions and is tough to wrestle."

Wise has been working out with Nicolosi, who led the team in wins last year with 45, since elementary school, and that has helped his progression.

"He (Nicolosi) works hard every single moment in practice and that drives you," said Wise. "He goes all-out and that's what I try to do."

If Wise is bothered by being overlooked, he isn't showing it.

"We want to be known as a good team and we just want to keep winning," he said. "I just want to do my part."

Of Haverhill's four wins Saturday, the biggest was 51-29 over defending South sectional champ Mansfield. Kevin Fuller and Dan Wezesa had pivotal pins in the match and Sam Prescott earned six points when he was body slammed to the mat and couldn't continue, causing a disaqualification for his opponent.

Prescott appeared to bruise his ribs and will likely miss next week's Lowell Holiday Tournament.

Joining Wise with four pins on the day was freshman 106-pounder Ben Davoli, who is now 11-1 with 10 pins, while Nicolosi (11-1 with nine pins) and 182-pounder Joe Santoro were both 4-0 with three pins.