ANDOVER — It’s been a long, hard road for Lawrence senior Adrian Collado, but it took a turn in the right direction yesterday afternoon.
In the Lancers’ 66-6 romp over rival Greater Lawrence, Collado had his arm raised in victory for the first time on the varsity level when he recorded a late second-period pin at 138 pounds over solid Reggie Luis Tejada, who had entered the match 2-0 and held a 4-2 decision after the first period before Collado took control.
“It feels real good,” said Collado. “I kind of forgot how it feels to win. ... I like it, but I have to work a lot harder to be as good as I want to be.”
Collado might have been a varsity victor last year, but he battled grades and he dislocated his shoulder early in the season, limiting his potential. After the season, he dislocated it again and had corrective surgery. That prevented him from playing football this fall and put the wrestling season in jeopardy.
“I love football, and I think I would have started, so that was tough not playing,” said Collado, who wears a preventive brace to protect his shoulder “So I came back to wrestle to redeem myself..
“My Dad didn’t want me to wrestle. He said if I dislocate it again i can take myself to the hospital ... but I want to keep at it and have a good year.”
Obviously, that’s the kind of attitude that is music to the ears of Lawrence coach Rob Niceforo.
“I know his shoulder is hurting sometimes but he’s not complaining,” said Niceforo. “I’m happy for him. Hopefully, this will build his confidence. He’s an important part of our lineup.”
Nearly the entire lineup developed confidence as the Lancers won all but one weight class. All five captains — Hector Reynoso (106), Rizky Riyanto (113), Luis Severino (120), Jeremiah Damiron (145) and Henry Carpio (152) — were victorious and three of their wins came with pins in the first period.
One of the more competitive matches of the day was at 126. Greater Lawrence veteran Fred Tavarez grabbed a quick 5-2 lead, but Manny Arias — who was a backup last year — tied it up after the first period, added three points in the second period and prevailed with an impressive 13-7 decision.
Also recording pins for Lawrence, which improved to 7-2, were Eriberto Batista (170), Chris Pena (182), Andy Delacruz (195) and Jan Pichardo (285).
The lone winner for Greater Lawrence, which dropped to 3-2, was 132-pound sophomore Jonathan Leon. He recorded a pin late in the first period.
Lawrence 66,
Greater Lawrence 6
agateText:106: Hector Reynoso (L) pin Alex Gieng :30; 113: Rizky Riyanto (L) dec. Jorge Quinones 10-3; 120: Luis Severino (L) pin Brad Andrews 1:00; 126: Manny Arias (L) dec. Fred Tevarez 13-7; 132: Jonathan Leon (GL) pin 1:50 Yosvani Lopez; 138: Adrian Collado (L) pin Luis Tejada 3:50; 145: Jeremiah Damiron (L) pin Steven Wojciechowski 1:55; 152: Henry Carpio (L) pin Chris Eyssi 5:00; 160: Nathaniel Cruz (L) dec. Julio Morales 4-2; 170: Eriberto Batista (L) pin John Gonzalez; 182: Chris Pena (L) pin Jarad Garcia 1:00; 195: Andy Delacruz (L) pin Emmanuel Marquez 2:42; 220: Hector Jimenez (L) dec. Luis Mateo 11-5; HVY: Jan Pichardo (L) pin Angel Abreu 2:18
Records: Lawrence 7-2, Greater Lawrence 3-2
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