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Owls prevail in Maine

SANFORD, Maine — Once again, the Timberlane wrestling team completed a holiday sweep of two of the toughest tournaments in New England.
But it wasn’t easy.
The Owls, after a tough semifinal round, battled back in the final round yesterday to capture the Redskin Invitational in Sanford, Maine, for the third year in a row and fifth time in six years.
Timberlane, which won the Lowell Holiday Tournament six days earlier, finished with 221 points with Connecticut power Danbury second (188 1/2) in the 20-team field.
“We had a tough semifinal round, and lost some we should have won, but I was really proud of the way we came back in the consolation round,” said Timberlane coach Barry Chooljian. “Things weren’t going our way, and we were definitely the hunted, but I liked the way we battled back.”
Five wrestlers recovered from semifinal losses to finish third. They were Zach Bridson (103), Dave Clemens (135), Nick Lawrence (145), Eric Petrillo (171) and sophomore Ben Tammany (215). It was the best tournament performance yet for Tammany.
The Owls had three finalists, meanwhile, and each captured their weight classes. Cam Sullivan won his first major tournament at 125, recording a major decision in the finals, and Alex Smith (130) and heavyweight Brian Nicoll both followed their Lowell Holiday titles with crowns.
Smith also had a major decision in the finals and Nicoll claimed a 6-2 decision.
The schedule won’t get any easier for the Owls, who’ll be at the rugged Eastern States Classic next weekend.