Marshall takes care of business
L-S grappler repeats as champ
PROVIDENCE — Andrew Marshall may have surprised some people by winning the New England title last year.
This time, Marshall arrived as the favorite and lived up to the hype.
The Lincoln-Sudbury senior capped off a perfect 58-0 season as he defeated Shawsheen’s Omar Eldaly in the 220-pound finals for the second straight week, pinning Eldaly in 1:05 to take home his second New England title last night at the Providence Performing Arts Center.
“This year was all about coming out and remaining dominant,” Marshall said. “I really wanted to show that last year wasn’t a fluke.”
One person who always felt Marshall had the talent to be a champion was his coach, Nick Avery.
“This postseason showed a lot about the wrestler he is, how far he’s come,” said Avery, who starred at Foxboro. “Last year, he showed he had the talent and this year, he’s come in and worked hard every single day, showing his determination.”
The third time was the charm for Nashoba senior Lucas Cordio. The Maryland-bound standout defeated Danvers’ Colby Holland in an allMassachusetts final at 160 pounds, 11-4.
“A lot of weight is off my shoulders now, since I took a second and third the last two years,” Cordio said. “I’ve been working hard every day toward this and it’s finally nice to see the results.”
Melrose sophomore Hunter Adrian survived a wild final at 106 pounds. He defeated Joziah Fry of Coventry (R.I.), 2-1, in double overtime when Fry was called for stalling.
“I’ve been training all year for this. All the hard work paid off,” Adrian said. “This is just truly unexplainable.”
Massachusetts had four wrestlers reach the final before losing. Newton North’s Kyle Randall fell to Jarod Kosman of Fitch (Conn.), 10-8. Wayland’s Ramazan Attasauov lost to Timberlane (N.H.) star Connor McGonagle, 3-0, in the 132-pound final.
Greater Lawrence’s Mailb Pastrana lost to Sam Wilkins of Mount Anthony (Vt.), 7-2, in the 195-pound final, while Billerica’s Ryan Higgins was pinned by Michael Burchell of Daniel Hand (Conn.) in 41 seconds.
Thanks to victories in the finals by Sam Lynch (138 pounds) and Cole McGill (145), Ponaganset (R.I.) captured the New England team title with 83 points, edging perennial powers Mt. Anthony (80) and Danbury (Conn.) (75). Nashoba was the top Bay State finisher, placing seventh with 48 points.