FOXBOROUGH — The date: December 18. The place: Concord-Carlisle High School’s Hayes Gymnasium.
That’s the last time James Fodera of the Lynnfield-North Reading wrestling team lost a match. It was about as close as it could get, an 8-7 decision in the Black and Gold’s first dual meet of the 2024-2025 season.
Since then, Fodera has been on a tear, winning seven consecutive tournament titles.
His latest conquest came Saturday afternoon in the MIAA Division 3 state championship meet, winning the 190-pound weight division to help lead the Black and Gold to a sixth-place finish with 83 points. Tewksbury High won the team title with 116.5 points, just ahead of Division 3 North champion Wakefield, which finished second with 113 points.
“It is very satisfying to see them step up each week to the next level of competition and find success,” said Coach Craig Stone. “It does not happen without their dedication to the sport during the season and out of the season.”
Fodera improved his record to 47-1 and became the first North Reading High student to win a state individual championship as a member of the LNR co-op. He also became the third LNR wrestler in the last 11 years to capture a state championship, as Lynnfield High’s Eric Kerr and Tom Arseneault did so in 2014.
The top seed, Fodera’s road to the championship began with a 1:17 pin win over No. 16 Mayshaun Thomas-Moore (Hampden-Charter) in the round of 16. He followed with a 21-2 technical fall win over No. 8 Daniel O’Brien (Dedham) in the quarterfinals, then defeated No. 12 Joshua Hindin (Foxborough) in the semifinals (3:47 pin).
In the championship bout, Fodera needed only 40 seconds to take a 3-0 lead against No. 6 Mohaned Said (Wilmington), slamming him to the mat with a takedown. Sixteen seconds later, Fodera pinned him to clinch the title.
Nathan Barstow, the No. 6 seed at 113 pounds, finished third. He pinned John Wigmore (Foxborough) in 1:06 in the round of 16, then pinned Noah Rushford (East Longmeadow) in 2:39 in the quarterfinals. He lost an 8-0 major decision to No. 2 Diego Cruz (Mount Everett) in the semifinals, then stayed alive with a pin win in 3:48 over Damian Sdoia (Wayland) in the consolation semifinals. He clinched third place with a late third-period pin in 5:55 over Colby Grenan (Bristol-Plymouth) to end his day on a high note.
No. 11 Dylan Mathews finished fourth in the 285-pound division. He pulled off two upsets in the first two rounds to punch his ticket to the semifinals. He defeated No. 6 seed Nicholas Leblanc (Athol) 4-1 in the round of 16, then defeated No. 3 Oakley Gully (Sandwich) by pin in 4:51 in the quarterfinals. The magic ran out in the semis at the hands of eventual winner Kip King (4:32 pin). Mathews rallied to beat Roberto Melendez (South Hadley) 3-2 in the consolation semifinals, only to drop the third-place bout to No. 2 Sam St. Pierre (29-second pin).
No. 5 David Glynn finished fifth at 157 pounds. He breezed through the first two rounds with pin wins, the first in only 1:19 over Brady Standridge (Scituate) and the second in 5:48 over No. 4 Logan Moore (Mohawk Trail). He ran into a buzz saw in the semis, losing to top-seeded and eventual champion Adrian Guzman (Andover) in a 1:34 pin. After being pinned in 3:45 to Michael Powers (Foxborough) in the consolation semifinals, Glynn took the fifth-place bout against Joe Allen (Gloucester) by forfeit.
No. 4 Cam Arya (165) was upset in the first round by No. 13 seed Dylan Melvin (Foxborough) 4-1. Arya stayed alive with a 20-5 technical fall win over No. 12 Travis Eastman (Franklin County) in the consolation bracket, but was eliminated after a 12-5 loss to No. 14 Kevin Ozulumbo (Ashland) to finish the day 1-2.
Zach Inafuku (0-2, 106 pounds) and Zack Morse (0-2, 215 pounds) also wrestled.
With their top-six finishes, Fodera, Barstow, Mathews, and Glynn will represent LNR Friday and Saturday in the all-states championship meet at Methuen High.
