As the level of competition continues to rise, the number of area wrestlers has dwindled to just two this weekend.
A pair of Athol High School grapplers will represent that contingent at the MIAA All-State Wrestling Tournament, with the two-day event kicking off today at noon at Reading Memorial High School.
Athol senior Merrick Decker and sophomore Chris Waslaske successfully navigated the waters at last weekend’s MIAA Division III State Tournament, and the pair will show their stuff against the best that all three divisions have to offer. The top six finishers in each of the three divisions earned spots in the All-State meet, with all weight classes featuring 18-man fields.
Decker, who finished third at 120 pounds at the D-III meet after capturing the WMass title, opens his tournament with a first-round matchup against Masconoment Regional High School’s Liam McAveney, the third-place finisher from D-II. A win would send Decker through for a likely match against Brockton High School’s Cole Wyman, the Division I state champion.
“I know Merrick’s personal goal is to try and go down there and get a couple wins,” said Athol head coach Phil Saisa, noting that Decker stands just two career victories from 150. “He’s had a pretty solid career and I think that’s a reasonable goal for him; to go down there and try and win some matches. He’s physically one of the toughest kids I’ve ever had and his head seems to be on straight this year so he’ll try to give everything he has.”
Just a sophomore, Waslaske has already put together an outstanding season in reaching the All-State Tournament after finishing fourth at the D-III state meet. The WMass runner-up at 170 pounds, Waslaske will open today’s action with a match against Natick High School’s Tim Ramstrom, the third-place finisher from D-II. A win would also likely send the Red Raider into a difficult second-round tussle with D-I state champ Joe Vecchione of Chelmsford High School.
“For Chris, just getting (to the All-State meet), I think he’s already accomplished quite a bit this season,” Saisa offered. “I think we thought he’d have a pretty good season coming in but none of that is a given for a sophomore. If he can steal a win or two, that would be a pretty great way to end his season and he’s already set himself up nicely for next year with how he’s fared so far.
“He has a style of wrestling that makes him competitive with a lot of people,” he continued. “We always talk about looking like you belong out there, and he has a style of wrestling that allows him to do that the vast majority of the time, regardless of who he is facing.”
With the rest of the Athol team now in offseason mode, the two wrestlers spent the week training at Doughboy Wrestling Club in Lowell. After taking Monday off, they made the trek to eastern Mass. to work out with several All-State caliber grapplers in preparation for the big weekend of competition.
Despite a busy schedule that has lasted well into February and has certainly taken its toll on their bodies, Decker and Waslaske have withstood the challenges this winter.
“I think it’s definitely a grind of a season,” began Saisa. “Twenty years ago, guys were wrestling maybe 20 to 25 matches a year. But these guys, with the amount of pressure on them to be successful, they’ve been in upwards of 50-plus matches. It’s definitely a grind but at this time of year, we talk about how it’s like that for everybody. All the guys they’re facing have the same grind. It’s about pushing that out of their minds.”
Perhaps the biggest obstacle facing the two wrestlers this weekend is the unknown commodity for many of their competitors. Athol’s regular-season schedule was successful in preparing Decker and Waslaske for a wide variety of wrestlers, but there will still be many new faces in the bracket this weekend.
“I don’t think people truly understand that,” Saisa said of the unknown factor. “For Merrick, 120 (pounds) is a very tough weight class throughout the state. For Chris, the best one or two wrestlers (at 170 pounds) happen to be in D-III ahead of him so that puts him in a situation where he can be successful.
“We see some D-I schools throughout the year but certainly not all of them,” he continued. “There’s not a lot to compare themselves to in that regard. So really, the whole thing is to go in, wrestle as tough as they can and gain some experience.”
Eight wrestlers from each weight class will advance through to Saturday’s rounds, when the semifinals and finals will be contested along with consolation fourth round and semifinal matches. Action on Saturday begins at 11 a.m. back at Reading Memorial High School.