Southwick senior wrestlers, from left to right, Dakota Wood, Ryan Laferrier, Ben Cleland, and Nick Breen. (SARAH WOOD PHOTO)
SOUTHWICK – The Southwick Regional High School boys wrestling team recently held their “Senior Night” with a final match against South Hadley.
Southwick’s wrestling team posted a winning record this season, thanks in large part to a solid senior class.
Southwick senior Ryan Laferrier (126 pounds) went uncontested. Laferrier had 22 wins entering the Feb. 8 home duals, and was recently promoted to captain.
Southwick senior Ben Cleland (138) went uncontested. Cleland also joined the wrestling team as a freshman four years ago and was recently promoted to captain with 22 wins prior to the most recent dual meet.
Laferrier and Cleland will attend Holyoke Community College in the fall.
Southwick senior Nick Breen (152), who also went uncontested against South Hadley, will attend Western New England University in the fall. Breen, a second-year captain, joined the team as an eighth grader.
Southwick’s Dakota Wood wrestles in the 2019 Early Bird Tournament. (SARAH WOOD PHOTO)
Against South Hadley, Southwick senior Dakota Wood (170) won by pin, his 26th victory of the season. Wood has placed in the Western Massachusetts tournament twice, finishing fourth as a sophomore and sixth as a junior.
Wood, a second-year captain, took first place in the Longmeadow Early Bird Tournament for the last two years. Dakota has enlisted in the United States Marine Corp and will be attending boot camp in September.
The Rams went unbeaten (4-0) at the Southwick duals, defeating Smith Vocational, Northampton, Mohawk, and Pathfinder to net their 20th win of the season. – Information compiled by Sarah Wood
BOMBERS ENTER POSTSEASON ON STRONG NOTE: Westfield finished the regular season strong, going 4-1 at the Southwick duals. Westfield beat South Hadley 39-18, Mohawk 39-24, Pathfinder 36-30, and Gateway 54-18. The Bombers lost to the Granby Rams 48-18.
Westfield’s 160-pounder, captain Cam Foster went 3-1 with pins over South Hadley’s Matt Mayer, Mohawk’s Quinton Toner, and Gateway’s Tim Bosak.
At 220, Westfield junior Chris Barber went 2-1 with a 4-3 win over South Hadley’s Noah Will and an overtime win over Mohawk’s Will Vanfleet. At 182, Bombers’ sophomore Jackson Krause picked up pins versus Gateway’s Garret Labranche and Mohawk’s Nathan Woodbridge. At 152, Caitlin Carter received her first varsity win with a pin over Granby’s Jenna Learned. Carter also won by fall later in the day in a Junior Varsity match.
Westfield’s 113-pound freshman Tristan Conners (2-2), 126-pound junior Zack Cernak, 132-pound freshman Anthony Gustafson (2-2), 138-pound sophomore Blake Braceland (2-1), and 195-pound freshman Jeffery Robinson also picked up wins.
Westfield freshman Daniel Ptashuk (145 pounds) seemed to draw the opposition’s best wrestler each match but was still able to gain 12 points for the team. – Information compiled by Chris Malinowski
The Southwick Regional High School wrestling team celebrates “Senior Night.” (SARAH WOOD PHOTO)
