With input from coaches and using playoff performances as a barometer, the Greenfield Recorder sports department put together All-Stars for wrestling. There is at least one representative for each weight class. If there are two representatives, both wrestlers were considered worthy of the selection.
Head-to-head matches also played a role in determining All-Stars. In some cases, it was the decisive factor.
Starting with the heavyweights, Dillon Laffond of Franklin Tech is the first All-Star at 285 pounds. Laffond went over 100 wins in his senior season with the Eagles. He then went on to become a state champion after his win by fall over Holyoke’s Parker Brunelle at the MIAA Division 3 meet in Gloucester.
Wrestling at 120 pounds, Frontier Regional’s Jocelyn Antes made it all the way to the Western Mass. championship match in the boys bracket. In the girls competition at the state meet, Antes (126) pinned (4:42) Mila Boucher of Middleboro to become a two-time state champion for the Redhawks.
At the same meet, Nicholas LeBlanc of Athol rumbled his way all the way until semifinals where he lost to Laffond by decision. LeBlanc pinned the top seed in the entire 285-pound bracket in 41 seconds before his showdown with Laffond.
At 215, pounds Jackson Morey went over 100 wins for Franklin Tech this season. At the Division 3 Western Mass. meet, Morey was just seconds away from a spot in the championship match. He medaled in third place for the Eagles.
Casey Bestler (190 pounds) finished 5th at the Western Mass. meet for Frontier Regional. The junior will head into his senior season tested and ready to compete for a sectional championship. Also for Frontier, Jackson Phillips (175 pounds) placed fifth in Western Mass.
Eujeyn Smith (165) of Mahar Regional placed fifth at the Division 3 Central meet for the Senators. Jacoby Merrill of Frontier wrestled his way to the Western Mass. championship match before losing a close contest (12-10, decision) to Ian Lanoue of Mount Everett.
Evan Ke (157) of Athol went to the championship match at the sectional meet in Holliston. The sophomore faced an 11-0 deficit in the semifinal against Ludlow senior Noah Simard. Ke managed to pin (3:25) Semard in the second period to pull off the upset of the top seed in the bracket. Konnor James of Frontier placed second at the Western Mass. meet.
Derek Pazmino (150) of Mohawk Trail had his sights set on a deep run at the sectional tournament before an injury derailed his opportunity. The eighth grader is a wrestler to watch for next season. Maximus Parsons placed fifth at the sectional meet for Mahar.
Ava Eddy (152) of Franklin Tech made it to the state championship match in the girls field.
Carsten Couture (144) went over 100 wins in his senior season for Franklin Tech. He won a Western Mass. championship last season for the Eagles. He placed second at the sectional meet in 2026. For Mahar, Elias Roberts placed fifth at the sectional meet. During his entire career, Roberts consistently medaled for the Senators at sectional meets.
At 138 pounds, Landon Purington captured a Western Mass. championship for Franklin Tech. Purington pinned Taylan McColgan of Hampshire Regional in 1 minute, 24 seconds to capture the medal. The junior also reached the 100th victory milestone for the Eagles.
Maxon Brunette placed second at the sectional meet in the 132-pound bracket for Franklin Tech. For Mahar, Orion Whitehouse was third in Western Mass. The third-seeded Whitehouse defeated No. 2 Ryan Lachance by decision (6-3) of South Hadley in the third-place match.
At 126, Luke Read of Mohawk was third at sectionals. Robert Whitehouse of Mahar placed sixth at the Central Mass. meet. At the Central Mass. meet, Whitehouse took down third-seeded Patrick Lavelle of South Hadley by decision (14-2). The match came in the 126-pound bracket quarterfinals.
Adam Rodriguez placed fourth in Western Mass. at 120 pounds for Athol. Ainsley Southergill of Frontier, an eighth grader, finished third in the state at 114 pounds at the girls state championship meet.
At 113 pounds, Franklin Tech’s Paul Giard made it all the way to the championship match at the Western Mass. meet. At 106 pounds, Connor McCoy placed fifth for Frontier at sectionals.