Seacoast wrestlers pin down success

15 to watch as state tournament nears

Here’s a look at 15 Seacoast high school wrestlers to follow as teams and individuals prepare for the upcoming New Hampshire and Main state meets, and hopefully, the New England championships. These student-athletes include two seniors, eight juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen — representing seven Seacoast high schools.

Jack Anderson, Marshwood/Traip Academy, junior, 165 pounds

Anderson, a junior at Marshwood, had a sub-.500 individual record in his first two years, but a strong start to his junior season has that record now over the .500 mark.

Anderson currently is 30-5 this season, and has a career record of 65-41. Over the weekend, he won all five of his matches, four by pin, at the Kennebunk Duals.

“(Anderson) has made huge improvements year over year, and sometimes match over match,” Marshwood/ Traip head coach Luke Howarth said. “He takes coaching very well, and hardly ever makes the same mistake twice. Jack sets the bar for the team when it comes to effort and hard work at practice.”

Howarth expects Anderson, who came up just short last season, to place “highly” at this year’s Class A state meet.

Anderson’s highlight match this season was an 8-2 win over Medomak Valley’s Grady Pease, sending Anderson to the finals of the Atlantic Invitational. This win came a week after Pease beat Anderson in overtime in the championship match of the Tiger Tournament.

Chris Anthony, York High School, junior, 113 pounds

Anthony placed third at last year’s Class B state meet, but York head coach Bryan Thompson says Anthony has bigger goals this season.

“He’s working hard,” Thompson said. “He’s looking at the top two, if not a state championship this year.”

Anthony currently is 19-5 this season with a win at the Gardiner Tiger Tournament and a third-place showing at the Wells’ Atlantic Invitational.

Anthony was new to the sport of wrestling when he arrived at York as a freshman.

“He only has a couple years of wrestling under his belt, which is remarkable for what he’s done,” Thompson said.

Hudson Berry, Exeter High School, sophomore, 113 pounds

Hudson placed third in last year’s Division I state tournament in the 106pound weight class.

Hudson has moved up to the 113pound weight class this season and has a 13-5 record, including 12 pins.

“He’ll be in the mix for winning a state title this season if he wrestles his best,” Exeter wrestling coach Greg Dussol said. “He’s a hard-working athlete who takes the sport seriously, and is improving every week.”

Kylan Berry, Marshwood/Traip, freshman, 106 pounds

The Traip Academy freshman has dominated since hitting the varsity mat for the first time this winter.

Berry won his first 18 matches – all by pins, and is currently 31-0 on the season. His highlight match of the season was when he pinned Aidan Morris of Haverhill (Mass.) High School in the first period. At the time of the match, Morris was ranked in the top 10 in all of

New England.

He won all five of his matches, two by pin, at last weekend’s Kennebunk Duals.

“(Berry) gives the rest of the team an example to strive for,” Marshwood/ Traip head coach Luke Howarth said. “We expect him to compete for a state title as well as a place at New England’s this year.”

Berry has placed first at three tournaments this season, including the Tiger Invitational, the Atlantic Invitational, and Noble Invitational.

Cody Bubier, Marshwood/Traip, junior, 150/157 pounds

The Marshwood High School junior placed first at last year’s Class A South regional, was third at the Class A state meet, and fourth at the New England qualifying meet.

All this while giving up weight and wrestling a class above.

“(Bubier) has won several tight matches in high pressure spots and exemplifies a never-give-up attitude,” Marshwood/Traip head coach Luke Howarth said.

Howarth indicated Bubier may drop to a “more appropriate weight” and compete at 150 in the state tournament.

“We would expect him to be in the mix for a state title,” Howarth said.

Bubier currently has a record of 26-6 this season, and has a career mark of 7629. He won all five of matches, two by pin, two by decision, at last weekend’s Kennebunk Duals.

Howarth said Bubier’s ‘highlight’ win of the season was a 3-2 decision over Camden Hill’s Justin Batty in the semifinals at the Noble Invitational.

Devin Conte, York High School, freshman, 106 pounds

Conte is certainly making a name for himself in his first year of varsity wrestling.

“The kid is a natural, but impresses me by learning to compete at the varsity level, and the varsity grind,” York head coach Bryan Thompson said. “I think that was a shocker to him; that kids compete at a pretty high level in the state of Maine – even at 106. He’s been able to grind out some quality wins against some really good Class B opponents.”

Conte is 22-5 on the season, including a couple of third-place finishes at the Gardiner Tiger Tournament and the Westlake Tournament, and a fourth at the Wells’ Atlantic Invitational.

Thompson calls Conte the “surprise” of York’s 12-member freshman class.

“There’s a lot that a freshman has to handle, but he’s done the job,” Thompson. “He could be top-three in state for sure.”

AJ Craig, Portsmouth High School, sophomore, 126 pounds

Craig is coming off a stellar freshman season where he placed second in the 120-pound weight class at the Division II state meet .

Craig, who also plays football and lacrosse, has continued his successful career this season, posting a record of 22-7 at 126.

Some of his highlight tournament performances this season have been placing second at Nashua, third at Souhegan, and fourth at Londonderry.

Sawyer Goodwin, Spaulding High School, junior, 175 pounds

Goodwin has had a stellar junior season, placing first in the 175-pound weight class in both the Salem Blue Devil Classic, and the Noble Invitational, a historically strong tournament in Maine.

This coming off an injury-plagued sophomore season where a dislocated elbow cost him the chance to compete in the Division II state championship. The silver lining of that injury? “He’s relatively unknown this year,” Spaulding head coach Scott Couture said.

Goodwin, with a current record of 15-3 this season, was unseeded in the Noble invite, and them proceeded to knock off each of the top three seeds en route to the championship.

Couture believes Goodwin has a chance to make a run at a Division II state title, and a top-three showing at the Meet of the Champions to earn himself an invite to the New England Championship.

“He very well could do that,” Couture said.

Will Hartford, Exeter High School, junior, 165 pounds

Hartford placed third at last year’s Division I state meet, and is trending to repeat, or enhance, that this season. So far this season, he has a record of 14-2, including 12 wins by pin.

“(Hartford) has an incredible work ethic and is a great teammate to everyone,” Exeter wrestling coach Greg Dussol said. “He’s always pushing himself and his training partners in practice.”

Dussol said Hartford has an opportunity to be in the running for a state title this season.

Noah Jackson, Spaulding High School, junior, 120 pounds

Jackson placed second at last year’s Division II state championship, and then fifth at the Meet of Champions in the 113-pound weight class.

Now wrestling at 120, Jackson is off to a 14-6 start this season, and has 70 career wins. With a the rest of this season and next year, Jackson is aiming to be the eighth Spaulding wrestler to reach the 100-win milestone.

“(Jackson) continues to pile on winning seasons,” Spaulding wrestling coach Scott Couture said. “His success is directly tied to his hard work ethic, and desire to learn. One of his greatest abilities is to assess losses, make adjustments, and fearlessly try again. It’s truly inspiring.”

Eli Josey, Portsmouth High School, junior, 190 pounds

Josey won last year’s Division II state championship in the 195-pound weight class, and then placed third at the Meet of the Champions.

Josey is now wrestling at 190 pounds and is 22-1 on the season. The lone loss was in a semifinal match in a recent tournament in Lowell, Mass.

Josey, according to Portsmouth assistant coach Jason Chasse, is ranked third in New England, and is 17 wins away from reaching 100 victories in his career.

“(Josey) has been a standout wrestler since he was in elementary school,” Chasse said. “College scouts are already interested in him.”

Carter Kuhn, Portsmouth High School, sophomore, 113 pounds

Kuhn burst onto the high school wrestling scene last year as a freshman and placed second in the 106-pound weight class in Division II.

Kuhn has moved up to 113 this season, and is putting up similar success with a record of 22-4. Kuhn won the Souhegan tournament, placed second at Londonderry, and third at Nashua. Kuhn also runs cross country and plays baseball for the Clippers.

“(Kuhn) was a surprise for us last year,” Portsmouth assistant Jason Chasse said. “He’s a natural wrestler.”

Derek Perretti, St. Thomas Aquinas, junior, 157 pounds

Perretti competes as independent wrestler in the 157-pound weight class as St. Thomas does not have a team.

Perretti, a second-year wrestler, is 3-3 this season in five duals and one tournament.

“His strength is his determination,” said Brenda Perretti, Derek’s mom and independent coach. “He doesn’t give up; win or lose he makes his opponent work for every moment on the mat. He comes off the mat more confident and with new goals to work on.”

In a recent meet at Bishop Guertin, Perretti recently had his first pin of the season, ending the match 30 seconds into the third period.

“He’s been working extra hard with the hopes of getting on the podium (this year at the state tournament),” coach Perretti said.

Ben Ronca, York High School, senior, 195 pounds

Ronca placed second in Class B last season in the 195-pound weight class, and then placed third at the Maine allstate meet, advancing to the New England Championships in Providence.

Ronca, who is 25-2 this season, placed first at this year’s Gardiner Tiger Tournament, and was second at the Wells’ Atlantic Invitational, the Westlake Invitational, and Sanford Invitational.

Ronca currently has 89 career wins and looks to reach the 100-win milestone.

“He’s put together quite a record at a weight class that typically is tough,” York head coach Bryan Thompson said. “It’s hard to put your finger on what him makes him so special other than he has a great sprawl, and tends to put kids away.”

Thompson said Ronca’s goal is to qualify and place in the top six at the New England meet.

“To get there, he has some work to do, that’s for sure,” Thompson said. “And he knows that.”

Sam St. Onge, Exeter High School, senior, 170 pounds

St. Onge may be a senior, but he’s only in his second year in wrestling, and is one of the Blue Hawk captains this season.

“He’s proving that he is tough competition for anyone in the state,” Exeter head coach Greg Dussol said. “He pushes his teammates in the room every single day.”

St. Onge placed fifth in the Division I state meet last year in the 170-pound weight class, and is looking to improve on that mark this year.

Currently, St. Onge has a record of 13-2 this season, including 11 pins.

Dussol said St. Onge is like a sponge when taking in information and coaching.

“He’s an incredibly fast learner in the sport, but is also a great leader and role model for his teammates,” Dussol said.