Clippers go unbeaten
Cumberland seniors post dominant win
CUMBERLAND — There’s still one very important tournament left to wrestle next weekend at the PCTA, but Wednesday night 12 Cumberland High seniors – including nine starters – were celebrated for their many accomplishments prior to the final Division I dual meet of the season against South Kingstown.
Listing those accomplishments would take longer that the actual dual meet, but suffice to say the group led by captains Colby Reilly, Tyler Shaw and Dom Passanante will leave a profound legacy on a program that has become the preeminent public-school program in the state.
“This is the end of all of our careers and it’s tough because we’ve all been together for so long,” said Shaw, who recorded a pin in the 76-6 victory over the Rebels at the Wellness Center. “We started wrestling together at Northeast Elite for [2009 103-pound New England champion] Shai [Lariviere].
“He and his brother, Shoneil, started coaching us and it all started for there.”
“This senior class is special and a lot of them are returning state place finishers,” Cumberland coach Colin Smith said. “They’re the soul of this team. What I’m most excited about this senior class is they’ve led by example. We have 44 kids on the team and while we’re graduating 12 active wrestlers, we have 32 kids coming back. What those seniors have taught the younger kids is not just how to wrestle well, but how to be good men and have good character. That’s what I’m most proud of from this group.”
Of course, the seniors also know how to wrestle and they accomplished something Wednesday that no Clipper team has accomplished since the 2012 state champion team – go undefeated during the in-state dual-meet season. The Clippers (15-0 Division I) also went undefeated against New England teams, including Saturday’s impressive 33-30 victory over Vermont state champion Mount Anthony Union.
It was the first time the Clippers had ever beaten the Patriots. The day also featured wins over Massachusetts prep powerhouse Northfield Mount Hermon and Vermont squad St. Johnsbury.
“They’re a tough team and they wrestle all six minutes of every match,” Smith said of MAU. “If you’re up by a lot or down, they’re constantly working and always looking to score the next point. It’s always enjoyable to wrestle them because you know you’re always in a dog fight. Two wrestlers that stuck out in mind and were dominant throughout the day were Colby Reilly and Matt Maguire. They seemed to find their groove.”
Because there were only six matches contested Wednesday night, not many of Cumberland’s seniors had a chance to compete in their final home dual. One senior who did was 106-pounder Corbin Dias, who spent his first two seasons backing up state finalists Reilly and Brady Gillis. Wednesday was an opportunity for Dias to get his moment in the sun.
The senior, who finished fifth at 106 pounds last season, and South Kingstown junior Andy Rosa failed to score a point in the opening period. Dias started the second period on top and appeared to be in trouble when his hips were too high, but the senior found a way to settle his hips, turn Rosa and pin the Rebel in 3 minutes, 50 seconds to start the meet.
“I slipped in my leg and pushed in the half, and I guess using his momentum pushing into me, I just put on my pressure and got on top,” Dias said. “Honestly, I was just scrambling in because he was going to reverse me, so I figured I’d throw the half in and see where it goes. For the seniors, this is a big night, especially because there are so many of us.”
“He’s looking to win a state championship this year and nothing short of it,” Smith said. “It’s good to see him get back on top after a tough loss last week.”
Reilly, who has over 100 wins and was a starter on the 2017 state championship squad, increased the lead to 30-0 when he pinned Connor Smith at 132 pounds in just 1:20. Senior Mason Lynch, who transferred from Lincoln this school year, followed with a pin at 1:36.
Maguire produced a pin in just 1:19 at 145 pounds before Shaw closed out his career at the Wellness Center with a pin of Jared Filberto in just 70 seconds. The seniors who didn’t wrestle Wednesday but were crucial to the undefeated regular season were Gillis (113), Jacob Mastalerz (182) and Zach Refino (285).
Now, Shaw and the Clippers will spend the next 10 days practicing and preparing for the state meet next weekend. The Clippers are looking to wrestle the title away from state champion Bishop Hendricken.
“We’re going to be lifting, running and getting our drills in, but we’re not going to push ourselves until we’re dead before the state tournament,” Shaw said. “We can’t settle and we can’t be happy we went undefeated. It’s fine and obviously feels cool, but the end goal is to obviously win a state title.”
Smith, who was an assistant coach under the legendary Steve Gordon on three state title teams, has already started preparing his deep squad for what he hopes leads to a state title in two Sundays.
“We’re going to be in the room and we’re going to tone back the live drilling for the next two days, but we’re going to be working on technique,” Smith said. “We haven’t won the dual-meet title in a little while and to go undefeated in the regular season is something to be appreciative of. There were guys who stepped up at different times throughout the season.
“It’s not easy every week to send in a lineup that win because we face tough competition. To be undefeated is something special, but our end goal is to win states and do well at New Englands.”