Jones, Bailey Lead Taconic Wrestlers into Second Day at State Tourney

WAKEFIELD, Mass. -- Taconic's Nick Bailey and Dave Jones are through to Saturday's semi-finals in the championship bracket at the MIAA Division 3 State Championships at Wakefield High School.

 

The pair on Friday helped Taconic to ninth-place in the team standings with 32.5 points. Wayland leads the event with 63 points and nine of its 10 wrestlers still alive.

 

Bailey at 126 pounds got a technical fall (15-0) in the first round and earned a 15-11 decision over Wilmington's Fox Maxwell in the quarterfinals. On Saturday morning, Bailey will face Triton's Jared Durkin, the No. 3 seed out of the North, in the semis.

 

Jones earned a pair of pins in the first two rounds of the 285-pound bracket. He was ahead 7-1 over Canton's Wavol Prentice when he got the pin at 3 minutes, 46 seconds.

 

Jones will face Somerset's Quinn Fallon, the top seed from the South, in the semi-finals.

 

Both Mount Everett wrestlers who went to Wakefield advanced to the semis.

 

At 113, Patrick Fosby got a pin in the first round and a 5-2 decision in the quarters to reach Saturday's semi-final against Dedham's Jason Sulinski.

 

At 132, Brad Lupiani advanced with a pair of pins on friday. He will take on the top seed from the South, Somerset's Nate Pacheco, for a berth in the state final.

 

Mount Greylock took six wrestlers to the tournament, and one remains in contention in the main draw. Travis Hilchey at 138 got a pin in the first round and advancd on a forfeit in the quarters. He will take on Danvers' Chris Behen in the semi-finals.

 

Monument Mountain's Mark Leon-Duque rounds out the county contingent in the main draw semis. He pinned two opponents on Friday -- both in the third mintue of the match -- to reach Saturday's semi-final against Dedham's Andrew Maher, the top seed from the Central.

 

In addition to the six wrestlers from Berkshire County in the championship bracket semis, five wrestlers remain alive in the consolation brackets.