The Official Site of Whitman-Hanson Panther Wrestling
Goldsmith-Greene joins 100-win club
Damari Goldsmith-Greene and his team following his 100th win. / Photo by: Sue Moss
Thursday, June 24, 2021
BY NATE ROLLINS, EXPRESS SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
Damari Goldsmith-Greene has become the fifth Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestler to reach 100 wins.
Welcome to the club, Damari Goldsmith-Greene.
The senior captain racked up his 100th career win Wednesday, June 16, becoming just the fifth Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestler to reach the century mark in wins, joining Nate Dineen (125 wins), Eric Runci (123), Ben Dineen (121) and Dave Osborne (108).
The 152-pound wrestler Goldsmith-Greene reached the feat with an 8-4 victory against Plymouth South.
“It means a lot to me to make history in the Whitman-Hanson program,” said Goldsmith-Greene, who finished his W-H career with 101 wins after a victory against Hingham in the Div. 2 South tournament. “In the past, there was a lot of great wrestlers, so it feels good.”
W-H wrestling head coach Gary Rabinovitz said he knew there was little margin for error heading into this shortened season if Goldsmith-Greene was going to reach the milestone.
“I could not be any prouder of Damari,” Rabinovitz said. “Damari and I discussed his goals after last season and knew he only needed 12 wins as he ended his junior year with 88. No one could see this pandemic and his goal was in jeopardy. If this would have been a normal season, Damari would have become the all-time win leader for our program.”
Goldsmith-Greene also capped his W-H wrestling career as a two-year captain.
“I take a lot of pride in [leadership],” he said. “As a senior, I want to leave the team with good things and good energy, so they can keep the train rolling for next season.”
“Damari leads by example, he never complains and shows up for practice everyday ready to wrestle,” Rabinovitz said. “He treats every one of his teammates with respect.”
Goldsmith-Greene, who began his wrestling career at Josiah Quincy Upper School before he moved to Whitman at the outset of his freshman year, will take his talents on the mat to Plymouth State University next year.
“I want to thank everyone through the program that helped me make history,” he said.
BY NATE ROLLINS, EXPRESS SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
Damari Goldsmith-Greene has become the fifth Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestler to reach 100 wins.
Welcome to the club, Damari Goldsmith-Greene.
The senior captain racked up his 100th career win Wednesday, June 16, becoming just the fifth Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestler to reach the century mark in wins, joining Nate Dineen (125 wins), Eric Runci (123), Ben Dineen (121) and Dave Osborne (108).
The 152-pound wrestler Goldsmith-Greene reached the feat with an 8-4 victory against Plymouth South.
“It means a lot to me to make history in the Whitman-Hanson program,” said Goldsmith-Greene, who finished his W-H career with 101 wins after a victory against Hingham in the Div. 2 South tournament. “In the past, there was a lot of great wrestlers, so it feels good.”
W-H wrestling head coach Gary Rabinovitz said he knew there was little margin for error heading into this shortened season if Goldsmith-Greene was going to reach the milestone.
“I could not be any prouder of Damari,” Rabinovitz said. “Damari and I discussed his goals after last season and knew he only needed 12 wins as he ended his junior year with 88. No one could see this pandemic and his goal was in jeopardy. If this would have been a normal season, Damari would have become the all-time win leader for our program.”
Goldsmith-Greene also capped his W-H wrestling career as a two-year captain.
“I take a lot of pride in [leadership],” he said. “As a senior, I want to leave the team with good things and good energy, so they can keep the train rolling for next season.”
“Damari leads by example, he never complains and shows up for practice everyday ready to wrestle,” Rabinovitz said. “He treats every one of his teammates with respect.”
Goldsmith-Greene, who began his wrestling career at Josiah Quincy Upper School before he moved to Whitman at the outset of his freshman year, will take his talents on the mat to Plymouth State University next year.
“I want to thank everyone through the program that helped me make history,” he said.
WH Falls to Hingham in Division II South Sectional Quarterfinals
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Friday, June 18th, 2021
Whitman-Hanson Wrestling traveled to Hingham today for the first round of the Dual Meet Tournament. Hingham won the match by a score of 45-24 ending the Whitman-Hanson wrestling season. Winners for Whitman-Hanson included at 106 pounds Joe Boss with a forfeit (8-2), 145 pound Pat Collett with a pin in 1:07 (10-3), 152 pound Damari Goldsmith-Greene 4-2 (13-0), Declan Hanaphy at 195 pounds 4-2 (9-3) and Maddox Colclough at 285 with a pin in 2:17 (10-3). Damari ends his Wrestling career with 101 victories!! |
2021 Patriot League All-Stars Announced
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Thursday, June 21st, 2021
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H.S. ROUNDUP: Whitman-Hanson wrestler Damari Goldsmith-Greene joins 100 win club
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Tuesday, June 15th, 2021
Not even a shortened senior season could keep Whitman-Hanson High wrestling captain Damari Goldsmith-Greene from making history. Goldsmith-Greene recorded his 100th career victory Tuesday, becoming just the fifth Panther to achieve that feat, joining Nate Dineen (125 wins), Eric Runci (123), Ben Dineen (121) and Dave Osborne (108). Goldsmith-Greene, who competes at 152 pounds, recorded an 8-4 decision against Plymouth South to improve to 12-0 on the season. Whitman-Hanson lost the overall match, 54-18, but still had several highlights beyond Goldsmith-Greene's milestone. Aidan Guiliani notched a hard-fought 5-3 overtime win at 126 pounds, Pat Collett pinned in 5:39 at 145 pounds, and Maddox Colclough pinned in 4:34 at 285. Whitman-Hanson (6-6 overall, 2-3 in the Patriot League) will compete in the upcoming MIAA team sectional tournament. |
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Panthers split Tri Meet
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Saturday, June 12th, 2021
Whitman-Hanson Wrestling traveled to Tri-County for a tri meet that included Northbridge. The Panthers finished 1-1 on the day losing the first match by a close 42-37 score and bouncing back with a 42-18 win vs Northbridge. Double winners for Whitman-Hanson at 126 Aidan Guiliani with a hard fought 4-2 win and a forfeit (7-3), Damari Goldsmith Greene at 152 with 2 pins in :48 and 1:42 (11-0) Declan Hanaphy at 195 also with 2 pins 1:03, 1:21 (8-2) Rocco Ruffini at 220 with a 10-2 win and a forfeit (9-1) and Maddox Colclough at 285 also with 2 pins in 1:40 and 2:24 (8-3). Single winners included at 113 pounds Joe Boss (8-1), Pat Collett with a forfeit (8-3), Grady Maynard at 132 and Jason Rapoza at 182 with a pin in :43 (7-3) The Panthers are now 2-3 in the Patriot League and 6-5 overall. Next up for Whitman-Hanson is a home meet on June 15th at 3:30 with Plymouth South. Senior Captain Damari Goldsmith Greene improves his win total today to "99" victories for his career. Damari will be looking for win #100 on Tuesday looking to become WH's 5th wrestler to gain 100 wins for his career. |
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Panthers fall to Hingham
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Wednesday, June 9th, 2021
Whitman-Hanson Wrestling traveled to Hingham for a Patriot League match and came away with a tough fought loss to perennial League champs Hingham. In the 9 matches wrestled Whitman-Hanson came out with 5 victories to 4 for Hingham. The final score including forfeits was Hingham 48 and WH 24. Winners for WH included at 113 pounds Joe Boss (7-0) with a pin in :50, Aiden O'Brien with a hard fought win at 138 6-4 (5-4), Pat Collett with a pin in 1:50 (7-2), Damari Goldsmith Greene at 152 with a 8-4 decision (9-0), and Maddox Colclough at 285 with a pin in 1:38 (6-3). The Panthers are now 2-3 in the Patriot League and 5-4 overall. Next up for Whitman-Hanson is a tri meet at Tri-County in Franklin on Saturday June 12th. Senior Captain Damari Goldsmith Greene improves his win total to "97" for his career. If all goes well Damari will be looking for #100 in a home match against Plymouth South on June 15th. |
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Whitman-Hanson defeats Plymouth North 42-27
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2021
Whitman-Hanson Wrestling traveled to Plymouth North for a Patriot League match and came away with a win over Plymouth North 42-27. Winners for WH included at 113 pounds Joe Boss (6-0), Pat Collett with a pin in 4:46 (6-2), Damari Goldsmith Greene at 152 with a pin in :50 (8-0), Jason Rapoza with a pin at 182 pounds in 1:04 (3-3), Declan Hanaphy at 195 (6-2), Rocco Ruffini at 220 (7-0). and Maddox Colclough at 285 with a pin in 1:23 (5-3).
The Panthers are now 2-2 in the Patriot League and 5-3 overall. Next up for Whitman-Hanson is a League meet at Hingham at 4:00 pm on Wednesday June 9th. Senior Captain Damari Goldsmith Greene improves his win total to "96" for his career.
Whitman-Hanson Wrestling traveled to Plymouth North for a Patriot League match and came away with a win over Plymouth North 42-27. Winners for WH included at 113 pounds Joe Boss (6-0), Pat Collett with a pin in 4:46 (6-2), Damari Goldsmith Greene at 152 with a pin in :50 (8-0), Jason Rapoza with a pin at 182 pounds in 1:04 (3-3), Declan Hanaphy at 195 (6-2), Rocco Ruffini at 220 (7-0). and Maddox Colclough at 285 with a pin in 1:23 (5-3).
The Panthers are now 2-2 in the Patriot League and 5-3 overall. Next up for Whitman-Hanson is a League meet at Hingham at 4:00 pm on Wednesday June 9th. Senior Captain Damari Goldsmith Greene improves his win total to "96" for his career.
Whitman-Hanson splits tri meet
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Friday, May 28th, 2021
Whitman-Hanson Wrestling hosted a tri meet against Scituate and Bridgewater-Raynham on Senior night. Whitman-Hanson defeated Scituate in the first round 48-24 but lost the final match against BR 48-18. Double winners for WH included at 113 pounds Joe Boss (5-0), Aidan Guiliani at 126 (5-2), Damari Goldsmith Greene at 152 with a pin in 1:56 and a forfeit (7-0) and Rocco Ruffini at 220 with a pin in 4:58 and a 3-2 decision (6-0). Other winners for WH included Aiden O'Brien at 138 pounds, Pat Collett at 145 pounds (5-2) Declan Hanaphy at 195 pounds (5-2), and Maddox Colclough at 285 (4-3). The Panthers are now 1-2 in the Patriot League and 4-3 overall. Next up is Whitman-Hanson is a League meet at Plymouth North at 4:00 pm on Wednesday June 2nd. Senior Captain Damari Goldsmith Greene improves his win total to "95" for his career. |
The PAnthers welcomed the Marshfield Rams to the Patriot League and improve to 3-2 on the season
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Wednesday, May 26th, 2021
Whitman-Hanson Wrestling hosted a Patriot league match at home against Marshfield. Final score was Whitman-Hanson 48 Marshfield 24. Winners for WH included at 113 pounds Joe Boss with a pin in 4:26 (3-0) and Declan Hanaphy also with a pin in :52 (4-1), Other WH winners included, Aidan Guiliani at 126 pounds (3-2), Grady Maynard at 132 pounds, Pat Collett at 145 pounds (4-1), Damari Goldsmith Greene at 160 pounds (5-0), Rocco Ruffini at 220 (4-0) and Maddox Colclough at 285 (3-2). The Panthers are now 1-2 in the Patriot League and 3-2 overall. Next up is Whitman-Hanson Senior night at home on Friday May 28th with matches against both Bridgewater-Raynham and Situate. The start time is 4:00pm. |
Whitman-Hanson sweeps tri meet
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Friday, May 21st, 2021
Whitman-Hanson Wrestling hosted a Tri meet this afternoon and came away with 2 wins for the day. Final score of match one was Whitman-Hanson 48 Quincy/North Quincy 27. In the final match of the evening it was Whitman-Hanson 48 Plymouth North 19. Double winners for WH included at 113 pounds Joe Boss with a pin in :23 and a forfeit, Pat Collett at 145 with two pins in 1:39 and 3:38, Damari Goldsmith Greene at 152 pounds with two pins in :13 and 1:35, Jason Rapoza at 182 pounds also with two pins in 1:57 and 1:11, Rocco Ruffini at 220 and Maddox Colclough with a pin in 1:10 and a forfeit. These wins bring Damari's win total to 92 of his high school career. Going 1-1 for the day was Aidan Guiliani at 126 pounds. The Panthers are now 0-2 in the Patriot League and 2-2 overall. Next up is a home match with Marshfield on Wednesday, May 26th at 4:00pm also at Whitman-Hanson. |
EMass wrestling: Whitman Hanson’s Damari Goldsmith-Greene headlines Athletes of the Week
By Brandon Chase Globe Correspondent
Friday, May 21st, 2021
Danyel Ayala, Norton — The sophomore heavyweight helped the Lancers stay undefeated (2-0-1), securing a 40-33 Tri-Valley League over rival Ashland by pinning his opponent.
Seamus Doyle, Hingham — The Harbormen are 3-0 and Doyle won both of his matches this week at 160 pounds in wins over Cohasset (59-14) and Silver Lake (51-12).
Damari Goldsmith-Greene, Whitman Hanson — The senior captain picked up his 90th career win on Wednesday with a 10-3 decision at 152 pounds in the Panthers’ 61-15 loss to Patriot League foe Duxbury.
Gio Juste, Oliver Ames — Despite a 48-33 team loss to Hockomock League foe King Philip on Thursday, the junior 160-pounder improved to 4-0 with four first-period pins.
Matthew White, Braintree —The senior picked up his first varsity win at 220 pounds as the Wamps opened their season with a 33-18 Bay State Conference win over Newton North.
Friday, May 21st, 2021
Danyel Ayala, Norton — The sophomore heavyweight helped the Lancers stay undefeated (2-0-1), securing a 40-33 Tri-Valley League over rival Ashland by pinning his opponent.
Seamus Doyle, Hingham — The Harbormen are 3-0 and Doyle won both of his matches this week at 160 pounds in wins over Cohasset (59-14) and Silver Lake (51-12).
Damari Goldsmith-Greene, Whitman Hanson — The senior captain picked up his 90th career win on Wednesday with a 10-3 decision at 152 pounds in the Panthers’ 61-15 loss to Patriot League foe Duxbury.
Gio Juste, Oliver Ames — Despite a 48-33 team loss to Hockomock League foe King Philip on Thursday, the junior 160-pounder improved to 4-0 with four first-period pins.
Matthew White, Braintree —The senior picked up his first varsity win at 220 pounds as the Wamps opened their season with a 33-18 Bay State Conference win over Newton North.
Panthers slayed by Duxbury Green Dragons
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Wednesday, May 19th, 2021
Whitman-Hanson Wrestling hosted Duxbury in Patriot league action and lost to by a score of 61-15. Winners for the Panthers included Senior Captain Damari Goldsmith Green (2-0) with a 10-3 decision at 152 pounds. This win is Damari's 90th of his HS career. Other winners for WH included Senior Captain Declan Hanaphy (1-1) at 195 with a fall in 5:38, and Rocco Ruffini (1-0) with a forf eit at 220 pounds. The Panthers are now 0-2 in the Patriot League and 0-2 overall. Next up is a home tri match with Quincy/North Quincy and Plymouth North on Friday, May 21st at 4:00pm also at Whitman-Hanson. |
Whitman-Hanson falls to Silver Lake in season opener
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Wednesday, May 12th, 2021
Whitman-Hanson Wrestling opened up its first ever Spring wrestling season with a Patriot league loss to Silver Lake. The final score was Silver Lake 42, Whitman-Hanson 24. Winners for the Panthers included Sophomore Aidan Guiliani with a pin in 1:42 at 126 pounds, Senior Captain Damari Goldsmith Green with a pin in 2:25 at 152 pounds. Other winners for WH included Senior Captain Aiden O'Brien at 138 pounds and Junior Captain Pat Collett at 145 pounds. The Panthers are now 0-1 in the Patriot League and 0-1 overall. Next up is a home match with Duxbury on May 19th at 4:00pm. |
H.S. WRESTLING: Better late than never, local teams finally return to mat
Eric McHugh The Patriot Ledger
Thursday, May 6th, 2021
WHITMAN – Gary Rabinovitz was part of the first JV wrestling team in Whitman-Hanson Regional High history, way back in the winter of 1977-78.
He was part of the first varsity squad, too, in '78-79.
Now, all these years later, he's coaching the first Panthers team to hit the mats during the spring season.
Just can't stop trailblazing, can he?
"I guess," Rabinovitz said with a laugh Tuesday as his wrestlers started to drag the mats out into the middle of the gym for practice. "Lots of firsts there. I actually wrestled in the first win we had (at W-H) and I coached in (the program's) 500th win. Lot of firsts involved. But no place else I'd rather be coaching."
Rabinovitz's latest season undoubtedly will be one of his strangest. Wrestling was the last sport to get green-lighted during the pandemic, and the delay pushed it out of its usual winter slot, past the newly created Fall 2 wedge season, and all the way into May. Last Friday the MIAA board of directors finally signed off on a slate of COVID-19 modifications (including mandatory mask-wearing), voting 17-0 to approve the wrestling committee's plan that already had gotten the seal of approval from the MIAA Sports Medicine Committee and the MIAA COVID-19 Task Force.
Now, officially, the sport is a go.
"Oh, God. I've been waiting so long," said Pat Collett, Whitman-Hanson's 145-pound junior captain. "It's good to get out of the house and do stuff."
Good for the coaches too, who had to find other activities over the winter. Braintree's Marty Dundon said he "enjoyed my son's very first hockey season," while Cohasset's Torin Sweeney noted, "I had my first December and February vacation off in 36 years."
Now it's back to work.
"It's like riding a bike," Brockton coach Deshawn Fentress said with a chuckle. "I know I used to do it, but I can't remember the last time I actually did it."
The wrestling community had to wait while the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs studied data from the Fall 2 football season, figuring that one close-contact sport (football) might serve as a blueprint for another (wrestling). That was a process that Dundon likened to being "put on the back burner."
The state eventually decided that since disease transmission did not occur in football (as far as anyone can tell), it likely wouldn't happen in wrestling, either.
Bridgewater-Raynham coach Sean Petrosino called the wait "nerve-racking," and Rabinovitz said he was worried about the season getting the OK "right up until the day it happened."
Of course, just because wrestling is back doesn't mean there aren't problems with this abbreviated season.
First, the move into the spring window means a conflict with other sports that wrestling never before had to battle for athletes. Switching wrestling to Fall 2 would have meant going head to head against football, an outcome the MIAA correctly felt was even worse, but the new plan has its drawbacks too.
"There are probably seven to eight guys right off the top of my head, good wrestlers too, that are playing baseball or lacrosse," B-R's Petrosino said.
At Cohasset, Sweeney noted, "Obviously, we have some guys playing lacrosse and some guys playing baseball and a couple of guys sailing and a couple of guys running track. It's not ideal."
At least two area schools – Rockland and Randolph of the South Shore League – have opted out of wrestling this year, and everyone seems to be dealing with depleted rosters. Carver is down to four wrestlers, Hanover has five, Pembroke has eight, Scituate has 10, and Whitman-Hanson and Plymouth North each have 11.
While Plymouth South is at 40-plus (albeit down from the usual 60 to 70), and Duxbury, Cohasset and B-R (all in the low 20s) are in relatively good shape, many schools don't have the manpower to cover the 14 weight classes, which could make for some quick matches.
"That's definitely going to be a challenge," Sweeney said. "A lot of coaches have agreed to bump guys up weight classes to try to get as many matches in as possible. Coaches aren't going to be as concerned with winning the dual meet as they are with making sure kids get a chance to wrestle. We want to get the maximum amount of wrestling done."
As of now, there are no individual MIAA postseason tournaments scheduled, although Tara Bennett, the MIAA's director of communications, said she believes that the Tournament Management Committee will take up the issue at its next meeting, which hasn't been scheduled yet.
If there's no postseason, Brockton senior Naziah Armor, for example, wouldn't be able to defend his Division 1 South title at 220 pounds, and classmate Domenic Cirignano wouldn't be able to do the same at 152.
The regular season also will be truncated with matches limited to dual meets and tri-meets (no quads anymore). Right now, Brockton only has three matches scheduled, all against Southeast Conference opponents. Cohasset is hoping for between 10 and 12, although the Skippers have had to hook up with the Patriot League Fisher Division for scheduling purposes. Whitman-Hanson has 10 matches so far, although Rabinovitz is hoping for more as he tries to give star senior Damari Goldsmith-Greene a fair shot at 100 career wins. (He's on 88 right now.)
The Bay State Conference hasn't even signed off on wrestling yet, meaning Braintree, Milton and Weymouth are in limbo. BCS president Ron Dowd explained that the league still needs to get approval from the various towns' individual boards of health before it can come up with a schedule, although he is hopeful of a breakthrough on that front by next week.
Then, of course, you have the masks, which are old hat by this time but still present unique challenges in wrestling, which features intense, sustained action with little opportunity for mask breaks.
Said Whitman-Hanson's Collett: "You could have great cardio but poor lung capacity and it could really mess up your game."
Goldsmith-Greene predicted: "It's going to test people's (resolve) – if they're going to fold or just push through it. I've been pushing through it. Nothing we can really do about it. None of the (other) rules changed."
One more thing on the masks ...
"They keep falling off in practice," Whitman-Hanson sophomore Maddox Colclough said.
Assuming that gets straightened out, Rabinovitz likes his Whitman-Hanson lineup, which is headlined by Goldsmith-Greene, who was runner-up in Div. 2 South at 138 pounds last year but is bumping up to 152.
"He's very fast and very good at takedowns," Collett noted. "When I wrestle him, I can feel it. There's a tremendous speed difference, and I'm not slow."
Senior captain Declan Hanaphy (195) has made great strides in just his second season in the sport – "I think he's going to surprise a lot of people," Rabinovitz said – and Collett hopes to keep progressing too.
"Pat was very raw as a freshman and got beat up a lot, but he never stopped trying," Rabinovitz said. "And he's grown, both as a wrestler and as a leader."
Collett, who was hovering around 180 pounds when he joined the program, has shed 35 pounds over his three years with the Panthers. So even if this wrestling season doesn't quite look like any that came before it, he'll gladly take any matches he can get this spring.
"I was kind of a rotund boy," he said with a laugh. "I don't know how to say that in a nice way. (Wrestling) has changed my life, really, to be completely honest. It's a very good sport."
Thursday, May 6th, 2021
WHITMAN – Gary Rabinovitz was part of the first JV wrestling team in Whitman-Hanson Regional High history, way back in the winter of 1977-78.
He was part of the first varsity squad, too, in '78-79.
Now, all these years later, he's coaching the first Panthers team to hit the mats during the spring season.
Just can't stop trailblazing, can he?
"I guess," Rabinovitz said with a laugh Tuesday as his wrestlers started to drag the mats out into the middle of the gym for practice. "Lots of firsts there. I actually wrestled in the first win we had (at W-H) and I coached in (the program's) 500th win. Lot of firsts involved. But no place else I'd rather be coaching."
Rabinovitz's latest season undoubtedly will be one of his strangest. Wrestling was the last sport to get green-lighted during the pandemic, and the delay pushed it out of its usual winter slot, past the newly created Fall 2 wedge season, and all the way into May. Last Friday the MIAA board of directors finally signed off on a slate of COVID-19 modifications (including mandatory mask-wearing), voting 17-0 to approve the wrestling committee's plan that already had gotten the seal of approval from the MIAA Sports Medicine Committee and the MIAA COVID-19 Task Force.
Now, officially, the sport is a go.
"Oh, God. I've been waiting so long," said Pat Collett, Whitman-Hanson's 145-pound junior captain. "It's good to get out of the house and do stuff."
Good for the coaches too, who had to find other activities over the winter. Braintree's Marty Dundon said he "enjoyed my son's very first hockey season," while Cohasset's Torin Sweeney noted, "I had my first December and February vacation off in 36 years."
Now it's back to work.
"It's like riding a bike," Brockton coach Deshawn Fentress said with a chuckle. "I know I used to do it, but I can't remember the last time I actually did it."
The wrestling community had to wait while the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs studied data from the Fall 2 football season, figuring that one close-contact sport (football) might serve as a blueprint for another (wrestling). That was a process that Dundon likened to being "put on the back burner."
The state eventually decided that since disease transmission did not occur in football (as far as anyone can tell), it likely wouldn't happen in wrestling, either.
Bridgewater-Raynham coach Sean Petrosino called the wait "nerve-racking," and Rabinovitz said he was worried about the season getting the OK "right up until the day it happened."
Of course, just because wrestling is back doesn't mean there aren't problems with this abbreviated season.
First, the move into the spring window means a conflict with other sports that wrestling never before had to battle for athletes. Switching wrestling to Fall 2 would have meant going head to head against football, an outcome the MIAA correctly felt was even worse, but the new plan has its drawbacks too.
"There are probably seven to eight guys right off the top of my head, good wrestlers too, that are playing baseball or lacrosse," B-R's Petrosino said.
At Cohasset, Sweeney noted, "Obviously, we have some guys playing lacrosse and some guys playing baseball and a couple of guys sailing and a couple of guys running track. It's not ideal."
At least two area schools – Rockland and Randolph of the South Shore League – have opted out of wrestling this year, and everyone seems to be dealing with depleted rosters. Carver is down to four wrestlers, Hanover has five, Pembroke has eight, Scituate has 10, and Whitman-Hanson and Plymouth North each have 11.
While Plymouth South is at 40-plus (albeit down from the usual 60 to 70), and Duxbury, Cohasset and B-R (all in the low 20s) are in relatively good shape, many schools don't have the manpower to cover the 14 weight classes, which could make for some quick matches.
"That's definitely going to be a challenge," Sweeney said. "A lot of coaches have agreed to bump guys up weight classes to try to get as many matches in as possible. Coaches aren't going to be as concerned with winning the dual meet as they are with making sure kids get a chance to wrestle. We want to get the maximum amount of wrestling done."
As of now, there are no individual MIAA postseason tournaments scheduled, although Tara Bennett, the MIAA's director of communications, said she believes that the Tournament Management Committee will take up the issue at its next meeting, which hasn't been scheduled yet.
If there's no postseason, Brockton senior Naziah Armor, for example, wouldn't be able to defend his Division 1 South title at 220 pounds, and classmate Domenic Cirignano wouldn't be able to do the same at 152.
The regular season also will be truncated with matches limited to dual meets and tri-meets (no quads anymore). Right now, Brockton only has three matches scheduled, all against Southeast Conference opponents. Cohasset is hoping for between 10 and 12, although the Skippers have had to hook up with the Patriot League Fisher Division for scheduling purposes. Whitman-Hanson has 10 matches so far, although Rabinovitz is hoping for more as he tries to give star senior Damari Goldsmith-Greene a fair shot at 100 career wins. (He's on 88 right now.)
The Bay State Conference hasn't even signed off on wrestling yet, meaning Braintree, Milton and Weymouth are in limbo. BCS president Ron Dowd explained that the league still needs to get approval from the various towns' individual boards of health before it can come up with a schedule, although he is hopeful of a breakthrough on that front by next week.
Then, of course, you have the masks, which are old hat by this time but still present unique challenges in wrestling, which features intense, sustained action with little opportunity for mask breaks.
Said Whitman-Hanson's Collett: "You could have great cardio but poor lung capacity and it could really mess up your game."
Goldsmith-Greene predicted: "It's going to test people's (resolve) – if they're going to fold or just push through it. I've been pushing through it. Nothing we can really do about it. None of the (other) rules changed."
One more thing on the masks ...
"They keep falling off in practice," Whitman-Hanson sophomore Maddox Colclough said.
Assuming that gets straightened out, Rabinovitz likes his Whitman-Hanson lineup, which is headlined by Goldsmith-Greene, who was runner-up in Div. 2 South at 138 pounds last year but is bumping up to 152.
"He's very fast and very good at takedowns," Collett noted. "When I wrestle him, I can feel it. There's a tremendous speed difference, and I'm not slow."
Senior captain Declan Hanaphy (195) has made great strides in just his second season in the sport – "I think he's going to surprise a lot of people," Rabinovitz said – and Collett hopes to keep progressing too.
"Pat was very raw as a freshman and got beat up a lot, but he never stopped trying," Rabinovitz said. "And he's grown, both as a wrestler and as a leader."
Collett, who was hovering around 180 pounds when he joined the program, has shed 35 pounds over his three years with the Panthers. So even if this wrestling season doesn't quite look like any that came before it, he'll gladly take any matches he can get this spring.
"I was kind of a rotund boy," he said with a laugh. "I don't know how to say that in a nice way. (Wrestling) has changed my life, really, to be completely honest. It's a very good sport."
ADVICE TO WRESTLERS IN THE OFF-SEASON...
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1. Lift on a regular schedule because stronger wrestlers defeat weaker wrestlers.
2. Improve your skills by wrestling in the off-season at clubs, camps, and tournaments. 3. Stay in shape by running because quicker wrestlers defeat slower wrestlers. 4. Finally and most importantly, be good and decent human beings - avoid alcohol, drugs, tobacco, etc. because good will triumph over evil! Here is a forum for off-season tournaments, clubs, clinics, camps and open mats. |