Hawks dominate, capture third-straight state title

Matt Metcalf, Sports Editor
Posted 3/3/15

It didn’t come down to the wire and there was no dramatic conclusion, but at the end of the day on Saturday, the Bishop Hendricken wrestling team was hoisting its third-straight state title and its …

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Hawks dominate, capture third-straight state title

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It didn’t come down to the wire and there was no dramatic conclusion, but at the end of the day on Saturday, the Bishop Hendricken wrestling team was hoisting its third-straight state title and its 10th overall.

The Hawks had a significant lead after the first set of matches on Friday, placing 10 of their 14 wrestlers in the semifinals going into day two.

Hendricken went on to place seven wrestlers in the finals on Saturday night.

Although only Cam Nappi at 106 and Jimmie Sauro at 182 won their respective weight classes, the Hawks accumulated a ton of points. Besides getting first-place finishes from Nappi and Sauro, Hendricken had five wrestlers place second, four in third, one in fourth and one in fifth.

The Hawks’ point total at the end of the finals wasn’t even within shouting distance, as Hendricken won by a landslide with 276 points, while Cumberland came in second with just 143.5 points.

Although there wasn’t a real contender to take the title away from the Hawks, it didn’t take anything away from the team’s effort.

“It feels good,” Hendricken head coach Kevin Hennessey said. “It shows that the kids are putting in the time and the effort that they need to in order to perform at a high level. We’re satisfied.”

The Hawks’ tremendous depth was on display throughout the two-day championship, getting a wrestler on the podium in every weight class except one.

“We had seven guys in the finals and took 13 medals out of 14 wrestlers,” Hennessey said. “We’ll bring 11 guys to the New England’s, which is the most we’ve ever brought. Last year was the most, but this year surpassed that. The kids just need to keep working hard and striving to raise our goals.”

Second-place finishers for the Hawks were Nick Celico at 113, Dylan DiSano at 126, Anthony DiMauro at 152, Nick Martino at 195 and Frank Cole at heavyweight.

Devin Rivet at 120, John Arruda at 145, Lewis Stewart at 160 and Zack O’Connor at 220 all placed third. The top three in each weight class make it to New England’s, bringing Hendricken’s total to 11 wrestlers.

Stevie Johnson also placed fourth at 170, while Jamie Swanson placed fifth at 132.

The Hawks got first, second and third-place finishes from three freshmen – Nappi, DiSano and Rivet – showing the significant contributions from all areas at the state championships and all year long.

“These freshmen really stepped up,” Hennessey said. “They came into the room and fit in really well with the guys and had good chemistry. They work hard and got what they deserved.”

Heading into the 106 final, Nappi knew that he would be in for a tough test, going up against his toughest opponent all year in Coventry’s Noah Young, who came in as the top seed.

But in a close match, Nappi was able to edge Young, giving the freshman his first of what could be multiple state titles.

“It feels pretty good – worked hard,” Nappi said. “Coach expects the most points as possible, so he has high expectations for all of us. He (Young) has been my nemesis for a while, so it feels good to beat him.”

Sauro’s title-clinching match wasn’t so close.

The junior, who moved up from 170 last year to 182 this year, came in fresh off of a rib injury that kept him sidelined prior to the state tournament.

But if the ribs were bothering him on Saturday, it didn’t show. Sauro rolled past Cumberland’s Nathan Skawinski in the finals, who was also a top seed coming into the tournament.

“It feels really great – it’s what I worked for my whole life,” Sauro said. “I had three displaced ribs. I did some light work this week, but took about two weeks off to let them heal. It felt okay today. I had some pain, but I scored when I was able to score and that’s all that matters.”

The dominating team performance earned Sauro his third title in as many years. It was evident, though, that winning state championships never gets old.

“I love this team, I love my coaches,” Sauro said. “There’s nothing better than this.”

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