Nationals titles en Mass. for trio
Repeat champion Knox, Blanchette, and Brown all score major decisions
Major decision. Major decision. Major decision.
St. John’s Prep senior Tyler Knox (132 pounds), Central Catholic junior Nate Blanchette (170), and Chelmsford sophomore Thomas Brown (285) put on phenomenal performances Sunday morning at Virginia Beach, Va., to win national wrestling championships.
Knox is believed to be the first repeat national champion in Massachusetts history after taking the crown at the same weight last year.
“It’s kind of crazy,” said the Stanford commit. “When I was younger, I’d go to the high school tournaments in Massachusetts, I never imagined I’d be at the level I am now. My parents invested a lot of time and resources into me, and my coaches did as well, so I’m super grateful to them.”
He made the decision to not wrestle at the state level for this season, focusing on higher competition. He became the second wrestler from Massachusetts to win at Beast of the East, then the first to win at the Doc Buchanan Invitational, and finished his season with a dominant 11-0 major decision over Maryland’s Jacob Brenneman at nationals.
“I got more confident in my hand fighting in neutral,” Knox said of his practice time ahead of the national tournament. “So much more confluence in my hand fighting in my attacks, it’s really good.”
Blanchette put together a fantastic year of his own — his closest was a 6-4 decision over Milton junior Mason Pellegri at the Lowell Holiday Tournament. With four pins and a pair of major decisions at nationals, Blanchette showcased his eager-to-attack style.
“I just like scoring points. I like being exciting,” he said. “I don’t want to be a boring wrestler, where you win every match 2-1, 1-0. It’s not fun for the people.”
He was familiar with his Floridian opponent, Omer Barak, from judo matches. It helped him jump out to an early lead and hold on for a 14-6 victory.
“I just knew that he doesn’t shoot and he works his underhooks,” Blanchette said. “He was playing my game with me, so I was pretty confident.”
Brown concluded the day with a 15-1 takedown of Ohio’s Lucas Stuerenberg, completing an undefeated season and postseason sweep in dominant fashion after finishing runner-up last season.
“It felt great,” he said. “Going into the match, I knew Stuerenberg. I knew I had to wrestle my best match.”
When Brown checked his phone following his title, one of the first congratulatory texts was from Nik Sperounis, his teammate who is battling cancer.
“I knew it was all for him,” Brown said. “Everything all wrestling season doesn’t compare to anything he’s gone through. It feels great to win and know that he’d do anything to be on the mat wrestling.”
Shawsheen sophomore Sid Tildsley (126 pounds) and his older sister, Phillips Andover senior Tayla Tildsley (145), produced secondplace finishes.
After posting 15 All-Americans last season, Massachusetts was up to 19 in 2023: Nate Blanchette, Jr. (Central Catholic, 170 pounds); Haden Bottiglieri, Sr. (Belmont Hill, 182); Thomas Brown, Soph. (Chelmsford, 285); Dom Gangi, Jr. (Methuen, 106); Alexander Gavronsky, Sr. (Belmont Hill, 160); Ayla Goldman, Sr. (Middleborough, 145); Matt Harrold, Fr. (Haverhill, 220); Rawson Iwanicki, Sr. (St. John’s Prep, 152); Rafael Knapp, Sr. (Algonquin, 170); Tyler Knox, Sr. (St. John’s Prep, 132); Lindsay Laws, Jr., (Silver Lake, 165); Sara McLaughlin, Fr. (Scituate, 114); Yandel Morales, Fr. (Andover, 106); Brent Nicolosi, Jr. (Haverhill, 152); Alex Schaeublin, Sr. (St. John’s Prep, 113); Sid Tildsley, Soph. (Shawsheen, 126); Tayla Tildsley, Sr. (Phillips Andover, 145); Matthew Walsh, Sr. (Bedford/ActonBoxborough, 182); and Brandon Winn, Sr. (Brockton, 113).