AGAWAM – Several Westfield High School wrestlers found themselves down, but what their fans discovered on Tuesday is that the Bombers are never out.
Westfield wrestled itself out from the jaws of adversity – the Bombers lost several first and second round matches – to pin down a solid showing at Agawam High’s annual holiday classic, the Phil Tomkiel tournament.
The Bombers set out to make their mark on the mat Tuesday at the Phil Tomkiel Holiday Tournament at Agawam High School. (Photo by Michelle Hamel)
“To lose a match, stay with it, and come out of it, especially in third place, that is a long, hard road to fight your way back from,” Westfield first-year head wrestling coach Chris Malinowski said.
When all was said and done Tuesday, five Westfield wrestlers had risen to take their place on the podium with top four finishes. Four of those Bombers claimed top three status.
Westfield 126-pound senior Trevor Lucia lost to the eventual champion to finish third. Senior Jonathan Ares fell to an Agawam wrestler in a matchup of 138-pounders, but defeated his same opponent in the consolation final to claim third place. Junior Cole Cannady (120 pounds) mustered a third-place finish, and won an award for the most pins in the least amount of time in Tuesday’s tournament. Sophomore Jack Yvon (160) also placed third.
In his first competition, Westfield junior John Gorde was fourth.
According to coach Malinowski, the Bombers were robbed of another fine finish when senior Richard Jablonski (152) was not awarded a pin after appearing to hold his opponent’s back flat on the mat for nearly a minute.
“We lost a tough match on a bad call,” he said.
Despite his displeasure with the non-call, the Westfield head coach voiced his optimism.
“I’m very pleased,” Malinowski said. “We’re looking forward to getting some of our injured wrestlers back on the mat to be competitive, and wrestle as a whole .. This was definitely a success and gives us something to build on.”
