JOAO VALDEVINO got another pin against Gloucester on Wednesday to help the Warriors pick up their 5th win of the season. (Donna Larsson Photo)

Published in the January 7, 2019 edition.

By RYAN MARSH

WAKEFIELD — During the first meet of 2019, the Wakefield Warrior wrestling team came to play against the Gloucester Fishermen on Wednesday at the Charbonneau Field House. The meet was never close, with the Warriors dominating by a winning score of 69-6.

“They were young, and we kind of took advantage of that,” said Coach Ross Ickes.

To open up the day for Wakefield, freshman Ana Valdevino wrestled in the 106 weight match. She set the tone for Wakefield, dominating her opponent and really taking over the match. Ana pinned her opponent in 36 seconds in a thrilling match.

Next to wrestle was another lower-classman in Luke Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was getting ready and began to enter the center circle, when he quickly learned he had no opponent and was declared winner by forfeit.

After the forfeit, Jameson O’Callahan was scheduled to wrestle at the 120 pound weight class. O’Callahan found himself winning early and won with a good, clean pin in 45 seconds. O’Callahan used his technique to counter his opponent’s moves and win the match.

To follow O’Callahan, freshman Nick Roberto entered the mat. Nick has been an early standout for Wakefield, flashing signs of excellence. Roberto locked up with his opponent, and quickly took him down, earning a pin in a minute flat and gaining six points for the Warriors.

After Roberto, captain Aidan Armstrong came onto the mat. Armstrong was rocking and ready to show off. He used his sleek moves and experience to get his opponent where he needed to and controlled the rest of the way, picking up six points for the team with a pin in one minute and 53 seconds. Armstrong also continued to help his teammates by yelling pointers from the sidelines, like a true captain.

Fellow captain Brock Johnson stepped up next. Like Armstrong, Johnson used his known techniques and shiftiness to move his opponent to where he wanted him to go, and pin him. Johnson pinned his opponent in one minute and 45 seconds, picking up another six points for Wakefield. Johnson then gave tips to some of his younger teammates as they watched Jason Hubbert wrestle.

Hubbert’s was another exciting match. Going back and forth for a while, Hubbert was trapped underneath his opponent. Quickly, he thought about the perfect move to counter and did a somersault and landed on top of his opponent. Hubbert put his competitor in a pin position but was called out of bounds by the referee. After a couple more minutes passed, Hubbert finally saw the opening he needed and pounced on it, pinning his opponent in four minutes and 49 seconds. Hubbert handed Wakefield 6 more points in a very fashionable way.

After that show, Jimmy Grover was next to wrestle. Grover began the match by bloodying his opponent’s nose within the first 50 seconds. Once the injury was taken care of, Grover came firing back and was in control the entire way, only to get caught in a bad position and pinned. It was a close loss for Wakefield and Gloucester picked up its first six points of the night.

The next wrestler on the list was Joāo Valdevino. Valdevino faced his contestant, and they began to push each other around. All of a sudden, Valdevino used his speed and flexibility to overwhelm his opponent and perform a perfect move to take down his foe. Everyone in the crowd was on their feet as they watched Valdevino bring back Wakefield’s fire as he got the pin in two minutes and 27 seconds.

Senior captain Mike Yirrell stepped onto the mat next. Similar to Valdevino, Yirrell’s match started slow, with Yirrell taking strikes from his quick opponent. But lacking the technique of his counterpart, Yirrell’s opponent gave himself up to an easy takedown. Yirrell took some hits and waited for the perfect opportunity, but once he saw it, he pounced on it, pinning his opponent in one minute and 31 seconds.

In the middle between two captains, Kenny Tran was slated to wrestle. Tran wrestled a good match, going back and forth for a while and used technique and better conditioning to outlast his opponent. Tran beat his competition with a 7-0 decision.

To follow up Tran, captain Derek Dimascio stepped on the mat and got set to continue the win streak. The captain fired out of the gate and attacked his foe. DiMascio used patience and good decisions to help put himself in a position to go for the pin. Dimascio found a rewardable move and ambushed his opponent, pinning him in two minutes and 36 seconds, giving Wakefield another six points to the already dominating score.

As the last varsity wrestler of the night, freshman Nathan Ickes wrestled, looking to seal the deal for Wakefield. Ickes stepped into the inner circle and shook hands with his opponent. A back-and-forth battle ensued for a couple periods. Going into the third period, Ickes found himself down by a couple points. Finding a marvelous moment, Ickes reversed his opponent and twisted him down to get the pin. Ickes pinned his opponent in four minutes and 29 seconds, getting more points and finishes in what was an amazing meet for Wakefield.

Wakefield crushed Gloucester, with amazing performances from Nick Roberto, Jason Hubbert, and the captains. The whole team performed well and Wakefield picked up a big win. Wakefield improved to 5-2 with the dominating performance.

The Warriors followed that up with a 50-18 win over state powerhouse Winchester on Saturday. It was Wakefield’s first win against Winchester since 1978. A full story will appear at a later date.