STATE CHAMPS AGAIN !!

Mike Travers scoring in state finals

Norton High Wrestling 2014 State Champs

Norton did not just win the MIAA D-3 State Wrestling Championship at Foxboro

on Saturday.  They owned it.  Dominated it.  Yanked it away from everybody else,

stamped their names on the banner and hung it on the Laroque Gym wall!

After two days of spirited competition the Lancers emerged, once again, the best

of 56 teams, this time 41 points ahead of their nearest opponent, Lynnfield-No.          Reading.  Senior co-captain, Mike Travers, runner-up last year, was Norton's sole    champion by a 5-3 decision over Wakefield's Dan Wensley.  Travers became only              the third Norton wrestler to win a state championship (Brett Gallagher in 2010 & 2011        and Scott Coleman in 2012).  Senior co-captains JT Taylor and Myles McAlpine            placed 3rd and 4th respectively while juniors Alek Donovan, Adam Marcon and              Elliott Johnson finished 3rd, 5th and 5th.  Sophomores Aidan Kahn and Deven            Schuko both earned 6th place medals.  Even though they didn't place, seniors            Ahrayah Saintius and Branden Pike, along with junior Russell Hansen won                matches to add to Norton's total points making this championship a great

team effort!   

Earlier this week the JV Lancers showed great promise for the future as 19                 wrestlers competed in the JV States at No. Attleboro and 11 placed top 4.                      Leading the way were weight class champions Andy Murphy, Jordan Dowdy,               Johnny Rahwan, Anthony Cardone and Jake Burgess.  Cardone led the JV team               this season with 26 wins followed closely by Burgess (21),  Murphy (20) and                      Kyle Pereira (19).

Third Straight Sectional Title for Lancers!

Senior Captains (and champions) Travers, McAlpine and Taylor

The Lancers had an amazing day Saturday winning their third straight sectional

championship 82.5 points ahead of the 15 team field!  It was a great team effort in 

which every one of Norton's 14 wrestlers won matches to contribute to the cause.  

As a result, 11 Lancers qualified for the upcoming D-3 State Tournament,

a school record!  

Leading the way were senior captains JT Taylor, Myles McAlpine and Mike Travers 

who, along with junior Elliott Johnson, were undefeated champions of their weight 

classes.  Junior Alek Donovan finished second while seniors Ahrayah Saintius

and Branden Pike, as well as junior Adam Marcon and sophomore Deven Schuko

all placed third.  Sophomore Aidan Kahn and junior Russell Hansen were fourth.  

Junior Robbie Douglas and senior Grant Monast placed sixth.  Sophomore Zach 

Scarpetti didn't place, but won two matches by pins.  Hansen and Marcon took 

heart-breaking losses in the semi-finals by close decisions to the eventual 

champions of their weight classes.  Hansen's loss came in overtime.   

With four pins on the day, JT Taylor was voted the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler, 

the third Norton 145 pound wrestler to be so recognized (Scott Coleman in 2010 and

John Royle in 2012).  

Mike Travers earned his 101st career win, and received a special commemorative 

"Century Club Member" T-shirt to recognize his milestone achievement, only the

sixth Lancer to earn one!

As a result of the team's dominant performance Coach Coleman was named the 

D-3 South Coach-of-the Year.

5th TVL Title for Lancers in 8 years!

League & State Champions!

A strong Hopkinton team, undefeated in league meets, came to Norton Wednesday 

night determined to win the Tri-Valley championship.  But in an impressive display

of intensity and composure, the Lancers won 10 of 14 matches to run away from

the Hillers 47-18 to clinch their 5th TVL title in 8 years!

Leading the way were Norton's three stellar senior captains, JT Taylor (32-3), 

Myles McAlpine (30-4) and Mike Travers (28-1) who all pinned their opponents.  

Other pins were recorded by sophomores Deven Schuko and Aidan Kahn.  In 

addition, key wins came from seniors Ahrayah Saintius and Branden Pike and 

juniors Russell Hansen, Elliott Johnson and Alek Donovan.

The JV Lancers were also victorious extending their record to 15-1-1.

This was the last home meet of the season and Norton's seniors were honored

for their remarkable achievements including 2 league championships, 2 sectional

championships, 2 state championships and a remarkable record of 81-5!  

We are very proud of these fine young men:

Kyle Aucoin - UMass Amherst / pre-law  

Nick Cardone - URI / business

Myles McAlpine - UMass Amherst / pre-med

Grant Monast - Roger Williams / biology

Branden Pike - Bridgewater State / fire science

Ahrayah Saintius - Johnson & Wales / business

JT Taylor - Wentworth Institute of Technology / architecture

Mike Travers - Bridgewater State / criminal justice

On Saturday the team travels to Cohasset seeking its third consecutive sectional title.

Go, Lancers!

ANOTHER STATE TITLE FOR NORTON WRESTLERS!

The Norton High wrestlers earned the top seed amongst the 16 teams who qualified for 
the MIWCA D-3 State Dual Meet Championships held at Wakefield HS on Saturday and they lived up to their top-billing by winning their second state title in three years!  Yet it 
was far from easy.

Sophomore Aidan Kahn

First up was Holliston, the defending Tri-Valley League champions and state runners-up in 2011 and 2012.  Lancer sophomore Aidan Kahn (who went 3-0 on the day) avenged a previous loss to Konnor Kozubal with a takedown in overtime to win 7-5.  Norton never looked back with pins from sophomores Deven Schuko (also 3-0 on the day) and Adrian Sokolowski, juniors Russell Hansen and Elliott Johnson, senior captains JT Taylor, Myles McAlpine and Mike Travers (3-0 on the day, too).  Senior Grant Monast added an 8-0 win by decision and the Lancers cruised to a 48-26 win over the Panthers.

Norton took on Triton, the 2011 state champions, in the semi-finals and faced some
very tough competition.  Schuko wrestled his best match ever and went ahead 11-3
before securing a pin to get the ball rolling for the Lancers, but the Mustangs responded
with three straight victories including a 3-2 decision over Taylor, Norton's winningest
wrestler this season, to take the early lead.  Norton regained momentum and the lead
with a hard-fought 8-6 decision by senior Branden Pike which was followed by five
Norton pins in the next seven matches from sophomores Anthony Cardone and Alek Donovan, junior Adam Marcon, as well as McAlpine and Kahn and the Lancers closed
the door 51-19. 

Wayland was Norton's opponent in the finals, a team that the Lancers had to come
from behind to defeat in both a dual meet and in the sectionals last year.  The Warriors
remained undefeated when the won an exciting meet in the semi-finals against
previously unbeaten Lynnfield-North Reading.  Despite a major decision win from
Schuko and a pin from Taylor, the Lancers appeared sluggish in the early going and Wayland won five of the first seven matches to go up 20-10.  Johnson stopped the
bleeding when he took an 8-2 decision which was followed by key pins from Travers
and Donovan along with a forfeit to junior Robert Smith and the Lancers had the lead.  However, with three matches to go, the Warriors were still in the running until Kahn
pinned his man in the next-to-last bout and the Norton bench erupted in joy and
celebration!

On Wednesday the Lancers take on Hopkinton at home at 7:00 PM for the Tri-Valley 

League championship.  The Hillers are also undefeated in the league and tied with
the Lancers for first place.  In addition to an exciting meet, Norton's senior wrestlers
will be honored prior to this last home meet of the season.  Go, Lancers!   

Another 4-Win Week for Norton Wrestling

Junior Russell Hansen

The Norton wrestlers were on fire Saturday in their final home quad shutting out Carver 46-0, and beating Scituate 46-21 and Walpole 54-20.  These were important wins because Carver and Scituate are both D-3 South Sectional rivals and Walpole finished ahead of the Lancers at the Marshfield Tournament in December.  Perhaps the most exciting match of the day was Myles McAlpine's first period pin of #5-ranked Sean Hannon of Scituate!

In addition the Lancers won a key Tri-Valley League meet on Wednesday 
beating Bellingham-Medway 45-9 to remain undefeated in the league and 
to set up a shot at the TVL championship at home against Hopkinton on 
Wednesday evening 2/12.  This meet will also be Senior Night and will 
provide a really exciting finish to the regular season.

Next up will be a dual meet with Northbridge on Tuesday, 2/4 and then on to the Mass. Wrestling Coaches Association D-3 State Dual Meet Championships at Wakefield on Saturday, 2/8.  Norton is now 22-1 and will be seeded amongst the top four teams.

Go, Lancers!