Perhaps the most satisfied person to walk out of the field house following the Lowell Holiday Tournament last week was neither a wrestler nor a high school coach.
I'm guessing that it was Gordon Smith who, with son and former Timberlane star Matt Smith, run "Smitty's Barn," the ever popular training site in Danville, N.H.
In match after match in the finals, at least one of the contestants have been working out at the Barn within the last year, usually on a regular basis.
Lowell champions from the Barn include Timberlane's Alex Smith (130), Dave Clemens (135) and Brian Nicoll (285) as well as Londonderry's Cody Byrd (152), Haverhill's Isaiah Williams (160) and Central Catholic's Zack Lattrell (189). Central's Shain Jowett (171) trained there when he was younger.
Lowell runners-up from the Barn were Timberlane's Zach Bridson (103) and Matt Morris (119), Pinkerton's James Herlihy (125) and Central Catholic's Jack DiBurro (145). If you're counting, that's 11 finalists in 14 weight classes who train or did train at the Barn.
"It is a nice feeling, but we're not the only place doing it," said Gordon Smith. "If you want to have success at this sport, you have to work at it almost year-round.
"We had quite a few champions and only a couple of mistakes kept Zach (Bridson) and Jack (DiBurro) from winning, but they're learning."
And, at the Barn, with good instruction, and tough competition, they're learning well.
Timberlane back on top
Once again, Timberlane is back on top in the first week of the wrestling Fab 5. The Owls, who have only had one dual meet, have another powerhouse, but they have a ways to go to become the greatest Owl team in history.
Yes, the Owls rolled to the Lowell Holiday crown for the fifth time in six years, placing eight wrestlers and compiling 236 points, but that's far from as impressive as the 2004 squad.
Back in 2004, the Owls placed a stunning 12 wrestlers in 14 weight classes at Lowell and, with 320 points, became the first team to ever score more than 300 points. The next spring, they won their fourth New England title, defeating a very strong Mount Anthony (Vt.) squad.
Timberlane, which also won its third straight crown at the rugged Redskin Invitational over the weekend, will undoubtedly get better during the season (it always does), but there are currently a few weight classes that are not quite as strong as the 2004-05 unit.
Finishing second in the Fab 5 is a much-improved Central Catholic squad. Lawrence and North Andover take up the next two spots.
Meets to circle on calendar
For those who want to see Timberlane, the Owls have four tough meets from Jan. 21 to Feb. 4.
Following are some of the more intriguing matchups.
Jan. 17 — Greater Lawrence at Shawsheen with Burlington and Reading; Lawrence at Central Catholic with Haverhill and Billerica, 10 a.m. starts
Jan. 21 — Timberlane at Central Catholic, 7 p.m.
Jan. 24 — Lawrence and North Andover at Westford with Dracut, 10 a.m. start
Jan. 28 — Pinkerton at Timberlane, 7 p.m.
Jan. 31 — Framingham, Lowell and Marshfield at Timberlane, 10 a.m. start
Feb. 4 — Concord at Timberlane, 7 p.m.
Feb. 24 — Lawrence at Greater Lawrence, 5:30 p.m.
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