Spartans Win as Mount Greylock Wrestlers Christen New Gym
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- It’s tempting to say that Mount Greylock’s wrestling season was summed up before Tuesday’s dual match against Monument Mountain got under way.
It was Senior Night, Mount Greylock was using its gym for the first time this season and two of its three seniors were in street clothes.
But despite the challenges of injuries and a nomadic schedule necessitated by the school’s renovation, there is more than meets the eye to this Mounties squad.
“This is a very young team, but they've bonded and become very close,” Mount Greylock coach Chris Rorke said after Monument earned a 51-24 win in the first athletic event in the new Mountie Dome. “They're all really improving. And we've just had to adjust to the adversity we've had and unforeseen circumstances.
“We're trying to stay positive and learn as much as we can. The team has grown closer because of it. The wins aren't there, but it's still been a positive season.”
And there was at least one positive to take away Tuesday, a night when Monument Mountain won three of the four contested divisions and there were more forfeits than matches.
At 182 pounds, Liam Feeley pinned Monument’s Logan Mead at 43 seconds to make it a 33-24 match.
“That was a terrific win,” Rorke said. “He caught his opponent in a headlock. That was great because we needed a little boost there. It was nice to get a win.
“He had a late start to the season, so he's really just getting in shape now. But he's a veteran wrestler. He definitely knows how to wrestle. It's nice to see him rise to the occasion.”
Monument Mountain took two of the next three matches by forfeit and got a pin from Sean Flaherty over Jacob Pontier at 220 pounds.
Monument started the match with a pin from Caleb Pollard at 106. He stopped Mount Greylock’s Trey Lepecier in the first minute.
The Spartans then got 10-4 win at 132, where Sam Cormier defeated Jack Cattelloti.
Brady Whalen followed that with a pin of A.J. Durocher midway through the second period of their match at 145.
“We've been working on being a little more fundamental, and losing some of the crazy jumping around and focusing more on fundamental wrestling,” Monument Mountain coach Simon Jones said. “I saw that tonight out of my team. That was really encouraging.”
The Spartans head to Taconic on Wednesday night for the regular season finale. Then Monument hosts the other three Berkshire County squads for the county duals on Saturday starting at 10 a.m.
“I think we're on the right track,” Jones said of Monument Mountain’s prospects heading to the post-season. “We've been battling sickness and injuries the last few weeks, but it's starting to come around for us. I'm encouraged by the majority of my team. The guys we're putting out in the varsity lineup -- I'm encouraged by what's going on. I think we're in pretty good shape for the post-season.”