Black and Gold Finish Second At Dual Meet Sectionals

They’ve been near the top all year, so it was no surprise that the Lynnfield-North Reading co-operative wrestling team was in the thick of it at the Division III North Dual Meet Sectional Tournament on Saturday in Wakefield, leaving with a second place finish out of the ten team field.

The day started with a 53-25 victory of Cape Ann League foe Wilmington, nearly duplicating the score they posted against the Wildcats near the beginning of the season, earning a berth in the semi-finals.

There they met long time Merrimack Valley sectional rival Tyngsboro, who appeared to be in control heading into the home stretch, but thanks to a late forfeit in the 112 pound weight class, the Black and Gold were able to swing a 39-36 victory to face Triton in the finals.

But Lynnfield-North Reading couldn’t avoid duplicating their earlier season loss to the Vikings, falling 45-25 in the finals.

“It was a close contest against Triton, a couple of the matches were very close, and if we had gotten them things could have gone in the opposite direction,” said Lynnfield-North Reading head coach Craig Stone. “But Triton is a quality program every year, and this year was no different. I was very happy to get as far as we did.”

The tournament ended the Black and Gold’s dual meet season with a final team record of 14-6. And while the squad wasn’t able to bring home the championship, it definitely wasn’t a disappointing performance for a composite program still only a few years old.

“This is the farthest we’ve ever gotten in the dual meet tournament, so it was exciting to get the runner up plaque,” said Stone. “We had exceeded expectations all year long, and today was no different.”

Lynnfield-North Reading now transitions into tournaments for individual wrestlers, starting with the Division III North Individual Sectional Tournament next Saturday at Triton.