The Division 3 Western Mass. wrestling championship is taking place today at Taconic High School in Pittsfield, with a slew of local wrestlers looking to advance to the divisional tournament next weekend.
Kyle Brunelle of Franklin Tech is the lone local wrestler to be seeded at the top of his weight class, as he is in the No. 1 spot of the 138-pound weight division, making him the early favorite to come out with a top place in the tournament.
Kyle’s brother, Josh Brunelle, is seeded No. 2 at 132 for the Eagles. Ito McMillan of Frontier also earned the No. 2 spot in his weight class (152), with both looking to take home a championship.
Frontier’s Tanner Finch is seeded third at 145, with teammate Payton Sladeski also seeded third at 106. Franklin Tech’s Peter Saladino is the third seed at 126.
Fellow Red Hawks Victor McNutt and Conner Hoffman were seeded fifth in their respective weight classes, McNutt at 138 and Hoffman at 182.
At 145, Eagle Colin Pettis drew the No. 6 seed, with teammate Noah Fuess, who is returning from an injury, drawing the sixth seed at 170. Mohawk’s Ethan Bower is seeded sixth at 220.
Four Warrior wrestlers drew No. 7 seeds: Dylan Wooldridge (170), Nate Wooldridge (182), Jaden Moore (152) and Quinton Romer (160).
KC Mattson of Frontier will enter as the No. 8 seed at 170 and Ethan Courchesne was seeded eighth at 182.
With the top four seeds at each weight class, plus an alternate, advancing to the divisional tournament next week, Franklin Tech coach Mike Aiken is hoping a few of his wrestlers won’t see their season come to a close today.
“From 126 to 145, Peter Saladino, both Brunelle’s and Colin Pettis, all their expectations are to place for states,” Aiken said. “A few of our younger guys at heavier weights are going to have a chance. I really like the seeds we drew in general.”
The Central Mass. Div. 3 wrestling championships take place today at Holliston High School, as Mahar Regional and Athol High School will make the trip to compete for team and individual championships.
Henry Gilmore is the top overall seed in the 152-pound bracket for the Mahar Regional wrestling team, having already beaten most of the competitors in his bracket.
His brother and first-year wrestler, Issa Gilmore, is the No. 2 seed at 106-pounds.
The Senators have three other wrestlers holding high seeds going into the tournament, with Jon Mahony seeded second at 113, Todd Chiasson seeded second at 160 and Peter Tattan entering as the No. 2 seed at 170.
With a boatload of wrestlers ranked high, Mahar is expected to score well as a team.
For Athol, Caleb Cox holds the highest rank in his respective weight class, entering today in the No. 2 spot at 145.
Jon Hicks is seeded fourth at 195 while Sawyer Lefsyk is seeded sixth at 120. Logan Kerwin is the No. 8 seed at 152.
“Hopefully it will be a good day for our kids,” Red Raider coach Brandon Jeffrey said. “In a lot of our weight classes, if they wrestle well they’ll be competitive. Each kid has a chance to win a couple matches.”