By MICHAEL LETENDRE
STAFF WRITER
BRISTOL – When the Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern wrestling teams clash each and every season, it’s always a competitive battle to behold.
But this time around, the Lancers – the fifth ranked team in all the state and a top contender for the Class L championship – dominated the Rams and picked up a 59-9 victory from the Charles C. Marsh Gymnasium on Wednesday, Feb. 10 to move to 14-2 on the campaign.
Eastern’s victory was one of the widest margins in the history between the two schools but just getting everyone on the match and focused was a challenge this past week.
With the snow day on the previous Monday and the bomb threat cancelling after school activities the following Tuesday, schedules and routines were seriously hindered which had an effect on both squads.
“Central went through this too [but] having two days off, where we couldn’t go Monday, couldn’t go Tuesday, it effects kid’s routines, it affects weights, and what they’re trying to do, so it really [messes] things up,” said Eastern coach Bryant Lishness. “We’re both having a few health issues. Not only that, we’re throwing out some guys that aren’t the normal guys so you’re asking a lot of them.”
“And I thought they did a really good job.”
While Eastern won it by 50 points, Central (13-5) gave it a go in each weight-class, hanging in to the end in some of the bouts but fell in 12 of the 14 matches.
“I think a lot of matches, we battled for maybe 85 percent of the match, but the problem was we weren’t able to close matches and they were,” said Central coach Matt Boissonneault. “They’re more experienced team. They’re a higher ranked team.”
“That’s what happens. Eastern has more experience, higher ranked wrestlers and were able to close out matches. We just weren’t.”
After three matches, Central was trailing by just seven points before the Lancers won the next four matches to snare a 31-3 edge and never looked back.
Two matches on the evening also resulted in injury defaults, giving Eastern an additional 12 points to its final 59-point tally.
“I thought they did a really good job,” said Lishness of Eastern. “They wrestled hard, they controlled most of the matches. Central got hurt by a couple of injury defaults but one of the matches we were winning and one of them we were losing 3-2. They were real tight matches. We might have still been able to get the win.”
With injuries and the like mixing up the middle of the Eastern line-up, Garrett McCarthy (138 pounds) was able to slip into the mix and made good in his appearance by defeating Patrick Kenney by a 10-0 decision while the Lancers’ Josh Wilson (145) was in a main event attraction against Shane Oxton.
And it was a war for 5:54 until Wilson slammed Oxton to the match, whiplashing his neck, and it took some time for the grappler to regain his senses – ending up in an injury default.
But off that match, Central’s Julian Galindez (152) and Mikey Barrett engaged in an entertaining war – leading to a 6-6 stalemate – before an escape and takedown by the Rams’ grappler grabbed a 9-6 decision to get the Rams on the scoreboard.
Galindez was just one of several wrestlers to have excellent showings against the Lancers.
“It was a big win. That was a great match,” said Boissonneault of Galindez at 152. “I thought the match at 145 with Oxton, two really good kids going at it in a high scoring match. That was a great match. I thought at 195, we closed that gap a little bit with (Connor) Staubley.”
“Even at 126 at the end there, I thought [Jack Hale] wrestled well. Those are kids we previously lost to. They have some guys who have a lot of experience and we have second year wrestlers.”
And then, it was Eastern’s Greg Lozier, once again battling in a higher weight, in it at 160 against Kuba Kreciglowa.
Lozier and Kreciglowa battled to a scoreless tie after one frame before the Eastern warrior snared a 3-0 push after two periods.
Midway through the third, Lozier got Kreciglowa down, cradled him and picked up the pin in 5:29 as Eastern went on a bit of a roll from that point, leading 16-3.
“We used to have to get him water and get him eating because if he qualified for 145, the only weight class he’d be able to go to other than that was 152,” said Lishness of Lozier. “So he weighed 145, 147. So we had to have him drink a bottle water, eat a sandwich before weigh-ins so he could be big, be a light 152 so we could bump him up to 160 last year. So for him giving up weight and giving up size, he’s used to it.”
“We asked that of him tonight. He’s a senior, we couldn’t use [senior Zac] Thompson and he stepped up and got the job done. He’s a grinder, he’s a real hard worker.”
Eastern’s Trinidad Gonzalez (170) twisted up Mike Paloka before snaring a pin-fall win in 3:29 while the Lancers’ Zach Marquis (182) pinned Brett Scully in 3:44 during a very competitive bout.
In one of the battles of the night, Eastern’s Anthony Circosta (195) and Staubley went back and forth for six grueling minutes.
In the end, Circosta kept Staubley on the mat late to collect a 5-4 decision and Eastern was leading 31-3.
Central’s Noah Cruz (220) took charge of Luis Rivera but the Eastern grappler battled into the final period before falling by pin-fall in 4:50.
And in the heavyweight challenge, Eastern’s Hidekel Mangual was trailing 3-2 against Kris Nizielski.
But with 4:22 gone in the match, Nizielski took a shot to the head and was unable to finish the bout as Manual won it by an injury default.
It was the start of six straight Eastern victories to close out the meet as the Lancers dominated the meet to the finish.
Jordon Champagne (106) defeated Chris Trelli by an 8-1 decision while Noah Corliss (113) won his bout via forfeit.
Justin Marshall (120) led 4-0 before pinning Travis Parsons in 3:00 while Jack Kachidurian (126) ran up a four point lead before nailing down Jack Hale in a 6-3 decision.
To end the meet, David Tyminski (132) took a 9-2 edge to finish up the second period against Isiah Sumler before ringing up a 12-4 decision to end the evening.
NOTES…Middletown claimed the CCC South title with a victory at Berlin, going a perfect 18-0 on the season.
BRISTOL EASTERN 59, BRISTOL CENTRAL 9
from the Charles C. Marsh Gymnasium, Bristol
Individual Results:
106: Jordon Champagne (BE) dec. Chris Trelli (BC), 8-1
113: Noah Corliss (BE) forfeit
120: Justin Marshall (BE) pin Travis Parsons (BC), 3:00
126: Jack Kachidurian (BE) dec. Jack Hale (BC), 6-3
132: David Tyminski (BE) dec. Isiah Sumler (BC), 12-4
138: Garrett McCarthy (BE) dec. Patrick Kenney (BC), 10-0
145: Josh Wilson (BE) injury default Shane Oxton (BC), 5:54
152: Julian Galindez (BC) dec. Mikey Barrett (BE), 9-6
160: Greg Lozier (BE) pin Kuba Kreciglowa (BC), 5:29
170: Trinidad Gonzalez (BE) pin Mike Paloka (BC), 3:29
182: Zach Marquis (BE) pin Brett Scully (BC), 3:44
195: Anthony Circosta (BE) dec. Connor Staubley (BC), 5-4
220: Noah Cruz (BC) pin Luis Rivera (BE), 4:50
285: Hidekel Mangual (BE) injury default Kris Nizielski (BC), 4:22
Records: Bristol Eastern 14-2; Bristol Central 13-5
Comments? Email mletendre@BristolObserver. com.