NEW HAVEN, Conn. — In New England wrestling, there is now only one way to spell dynasty.
Without a doubt, it's T-i-m-b-e-r-l-a-n-e.
The Owls made that clear last night here at Hillhouse High School by winning its second straight New England crown and fourth in the last five years. During that span, Timberlane's dual-meet record is a stunning 100-1-1.
Moreover, Timberlane has now captured seven New England titles overall, which makes it No. 1 in total crowns.
Paced by runners-up Zach Bridson (103) and Brian Nicoll (heavyweight), who was forced to default in the finals due to a back injury, Timberlane's depth proved too much for the rest of the field.
The Owls finished with five placers and 110 points, comfortably ahead of surprising runner-up Cranston (R.I.) West, which recorded 91.5 points. Lowell tied for fourth and Greater Lawrence's Dynamic duo of New England runner-up Matt Buco (112) and champion Miguel Guzman (119) lifted the Reggies to eighth place.
Joining the finalists on the medal stand for Timberlane were Matt Morris (119), Alex Smith (130) and Dave Clemens (135), who came in fourth, third and fifth, respectively.
For Timberlane head coach Barry Chooljian, who was inducted into the New England Wrestling Hall of Fame prior to the championship matches, the day could not have been sweeter.
"This never gets old," said Chooljian, who is joined in the Hall of Fame by his former co-coach Don Woodworth. "I'm thrilled that we can win this again.
"Certainly, it is a great honor to make the hall of fame, but it is so much greater that I did when we won the tournament. People don't realize how hard it is to win this. We needed a lot of kids to contribute and they did."
Bridson fell behind early to Shaidi Lariviere of Cumberland, R.I., in the finals and dropped an 8-2 decision. But he wrestled a superb tournament overall and finished his freshman year with a 40-9 record.
Nicoll, who was injured earlier in the tournament, gutted it out in the semifinals. He lost an opportunity to defeat Concord's Dan Herrick for the third time this year when he was not given medical clearance to wrestle in the finals.
"I feel bad and really wanted to wrestle, but winning last year and winning the team title again takes a little of the sting out of it," said Nichol, who finished the season with a 35-3 record.
Guzman (41-0) at 119, Londonderry's Cody Byrd (41-0) at 152 and Haverhill's Isaiah Williams (50-0), at 160 all stayed unbeaten by capturing titles.
Byrd was involved in one of the tightest championship matches of the night.
Andrew Ford, of Bethel, Conn., got the first two points on a takedown, which were the first offensive points scored against Byrd all year. But Byrd recovered to take a 3-2 lead after the first period and, with the score tied in the third, got a takedown with 35 seconds left to grab a 5-3 decision.
"This was my goal, but it was tough," said Byrd. "He was really strong, so I knew I had to win it on my feet."
Byrd was followed by Haverhill's Isaiah Williams, who was his training partner over the summer. Williams dominated Nick Bedard in the finals with an 11-2 major decision. That followed two pins and a technical fall on his way to the finals.
In the consolation finals, Smith had a dramatic 4-2 win in overtime and Clemens finished his career in style with an 11-2 major decision.
For Clemens, it marked the third time in his four-year career that he was a member of a New England championship team. It is believed that he is the first Timberlane wrestler to accomplish this.
"It would have been great if I had done better, but it means more to me that the team won the championship again," said Clemens. "It just means so much to be here with my teammates and win this."
New England Wrestling Tournament
Top 10 team scores (117 teams scored): 1. Timberlane 110, 2. Cranston (R.I.) West 91.5, 2. Cumberland (R.I.) 58, 4.tie Lowell, Concord 55, 6. Danbury (Conn.) 47, 7. Massabesic (Maine) 46, 8. Greater Lawrence 44, 9. Framingham 37.5, 10. Burlington 37
Winners and local placers:
103: 1. Shaidi Lariviere (Cumberland), 2. Zach Bridson (Timb); 112: 1. Corey Mello (New Bedford), Matt Buco (GL); 119: 1. Miguel Guzman (GL), 4. Matt Morris (Timb); 125: Mike Meyers (Warwick, R.I.), 130: 1. Alexander Hayek (East Greenwich, Conn.), 3. Alex Smith (Timb); 135: 1. Shawn Giblin (Cranston West), 5. Dave Clemens (Timb); 140: 1. Dan Telhada (Franklin), 3. Colin Crowell (Pink); 145: 1. Victor DeJesus (Lowell), 6. Jack DiBurro (CC); 152: 1. Cody Byrd (Lond), 6. Ryan Harding (SJP/North Andover); 160: 1. Isaiah Williams (Hav); 171: 1. Mike Rin (Algonquin); 189: 1. Lucas Bowman (St. Bernard, Conn.); 215: 1. Mike Grilakis (Nashua South); HVY: 1. Dan Herrick (Concord, N.H.), 2. Brian Nicoll (Timb)
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