METHUEN — The Lynnfield-North Reading wrestling team placed one wrestler and scored 17 points to finish 44th out of 91 teams in the MIAA All-State Tournament Friday and Saturday at Methuen High School.
St. John’s Prep placed four wrestlers and finished fourth with 97.5 points. The team title was a tight two-way race with Shawsheen topping the field with 132.5 points, just ahead of runner-up Central Catholic, which finished with 130 points.
James Fodera was the top performer for the Black and Gold, finishing fifth in the 190-pound weight division, thereby becoming the second LNR wrestler to place in two All-State tournaments, joining Lynnfield High Wrestling Hall of Fame member Sean McCullough (2019, 2020).
“It was a very competitive two-day tournament with the state’s best wrestlers at one venue,” said LNR Coach Craig Stone. “As a team, and as individuals, we again improved on our performance from last year which is indicative of what we have done all season. You always leave an event like this hoping to have done better, but also realizing that what you did accomplish, many did not.”
David Glynn, in his first trip to the tournament, finished 1-2 at 157 pounds. Dylan Mathews (285), also in his first trip to the tournament, also wrestled. Nathan Barstow qualified, but was unable to wrestle due to illness.
Fodera’s road to placing began with a 10-0 major decision over Matthew Binder of Whittier Tech in the round of 16. He then defeated Edward Myles of Concord-Carlisle in the quarterfinals by a 5-2 decision but fell 19-4 in the semis to Owen Pavao of Somerset Berkley. He wasted no time in the fifth-place bout, pinning Elijah Prophete of Taunton in only 55 seconds.
The Prep had one winner in Braedon Goes (4-0), who won the 126-pound weight division. He pinned Ryan Gomes of Ludlow (1:14) in the round of 16, then pinned Michael Conover of North Attleborough in another first-period pin (1:17). In the semifinals, he defeated Alex Javier of Somerset Berkley in a 12-4 major decision, then clinched gold with a 4-1 decision over Nathan Sayers of Xaverian in the championship match.
James Lally (144) and Alex Bajoras (285) finished second in their respective weight classes. Lally (3-1) cruised through the first three rounds, only to fall to Aidan Baum of Milford in the final, 13-5.
Bajoras (3-1) sailed through his first three bouts with pin wins, only to lose the championship match to Thomas Brown of Chelmsford in a second-period pin in 3:04.
Will Lavalee finished sixth in the 150-pound division. Domenico Ternullo (215) finished 1-2 but did not place.
By virtue of their top-six finishes, Fodera, Goes, Lally, Bajoras and LaValee secured spots in the 60th Annual New England Interscholastic Wrestling Championship March 8-9 at the Providence Career and Technical Institute in Providence, RI.
