Taconic Wrestlers Second at Frankln Tech Tourney

TURNERS FALLS, Mass. -- Zabion Powell won the 145-pound title Saturday to lead the Taconic wrestling team to a second-place finish at the Eagle Holiday Classic at Franklin Tech.

 

Central Catholic of Lawrence, the second-place team at last year's Division 2 State Championship, won the team title with 248.5 points, 57 points ahead of Taconic.

 

Monument Mountain placed sixth at the 20-team tournament with 98 points as the Spartans' Caleb Pollard claimed a title at 113.

 

Powell pinned Monument Mountain's Sam Cormier in the first minute of their title match at 145.

 

It was Powell's fourth pin of the day -- three of them coming in 42 seconds or fewer.

 

Dylan Burke (182) and Mike LaFreniere (126) each placed second for Taconic. Burke dropped a 9-2 decision to Athol's Chris Waslaske in the 182 final. LaFreniere was stopped in the fifth minute by Longmeadow's Jimmy Barrett.

 

Three Taconic wrestlers won third-place matches to end their day: Isiah Hartman-Caesar at 285, Shawn O'Shea at 195 an Zach Mathes at 138.

 

Monument Mountain's Pollard registered first-round pins in his first two matches after receiving a bye into the quarter-finals. He then won the title match on a forfeit.

 

Mount Everett sent five wrestlers to the tournament, and Anthony Lupiani went home with a third-placefinish.

 

At 126, Lupiani was pinned by Barrett to drop into the consolation bracket. The Eagle then won his next two matches by pin, stopping Frontier's Tanner Finch in the second minute to claim third place.