RallyNorth.net

Timberlane newcomers deliver

PLAISTOW — Even diehard Timberlane wrestling fans could have used a printed roster Wednesday night against Pinkerton.

After heavy graduation losses, and with three starters sitting out with minor ailments, the Owls' lineup was rampant with newcomers, including five freshmen.

When it was over, however, despite an early scare, Timberlane emerged the victor once again, 50-24, to capture its 175th straight dual meet against New Hampshire teams. The Owls, now 5-0 on the year, have also won 49 straight against all opponents.

"It was a good performance by a lot of kids under the lights for the first time," said Timberlane coach Barry Chooljian, who is now 603-50-5 in his 34th year. "This was a good dual meet against a tough opponent."

In fact, Pinkerton held a 24-12 lead and all the momentum by winning five of the first seven matches heading into the heavyweight match with Timberlane sending out freshman Malikai Colon to the mat against Pinkerton junior Ben Fairbank.

After the usual, push and shove of most heavyweight matches, Colon got a takedown in the first period and then electrified the crowd of several hundred with a second period pin.

"I wasn't nervous, I was excited," said Colon. "I knew it was an important match for us."

It was more than that according to Chooljian.

"It was definitely the match of the night," said Chooljian. "We lost one we were expecting to win and we needed the momentum to change."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          And just like that, the momentum did change as the Owls won the final six matches of the night to earn the victory.

Among the six wins were two by freshmen, impressive 106-pounder Jonathan Fabrizio, who had a second period pin, and 120-pounder Ben Littel, who won by an injury disqualification after getting slammed to the mat.

Other winners in that finishing streak were sophomores Konrad Parker (pin at 113) and Codey Wild (tech. fall at 138 to end the night), senior John Leavitt  (6-1 decision at 126) and senior Brady Sickel (pin at 132).

Sickel and junior Brandon Musgrave, who had a pin at 170, are first year varsity starters but you'd never know it by the way they're wrestling. Musgrave, who is now 7-0 on the year with six pins, wasn't even particularly impressive on the JV level last year, but he is making a quick impact.

"I knew I had the potential," said Musgrave, the younger brother of graduated (2018) Dylan Musgrave. "I've worked pretty hard but I think once you get on the varsity, there's like a standard you have to reach."

Said Chooljian: "We had a lot of kids wrestling under the lights for the first time and I thought they did really well."

Also winning for the Owls, with their first win of the night, was junior Adam Marquis with a 49-second pin at 152 pounds.

Prior to the pin by Marquis, Pinkerton had taken a 3-0 lead thanks to a 9-4 decision at 145 by Marcus Sconza. Jack MacKiernan had a pin at160 for the Astros and, after Musgrave's pin, the Astros won three straight matches.

Senior Cam Sylvester had a surprising 40-second pin at 182, Will Brown held on for a 2-1 decision at 195 and returning New England placer Sterling McLaughlin had a second period fall at 220.

 At that point, things were definitely going the Astros' way and an upset certainly seemed possible.

And then Colon turned things around.