Milford returns to the top in Div. 2 wrestling with dominant performance

The cream returned to the top of the Division 2 boys wrestling world.

After seeing its hopes of a three-peat vanquished by Minnechaug last year, Milford turned in a dominant performance in winning the Div. 2 title Saturday afternoon at Salem High School. The Scarlet Hawks easily outdistanced the field, scoring 177.5 points.

The Scarlet Hawks put seven wrestlers in the final and three of them brought home the gold. Derek Marcolini scored a 19-4 win over Alex Javier of Somerset Berkley at 126 pounds, Aidan Baum was just as impressive in a 21-5 win over Reading’s William Merkle and Michael Boulanger pinned Marco Albanese of Reading in 1:01.

Bridgewater-Raynham finished second with 154 points. The Trojans received championship efforts from Brent von Magnus, who pinned Josiah Carney of Milford in 2:41, along with Fletcher Rinke, who won the 190-pound title with a 6-3 win over Luke Donis of Milford.

Billerica’s Peter Rincan continued his dominant season as he pinned Steven Santiago of Holyoke to win the 120-pound title. Another returning All-Scholastic, Cyrus Jones of Sharon, won the 175-pound title as he pinned Abel Varzeas of West Springfield in 3:51, while Melrose standout Johnny Moraes edged Brayden Boccia of Milford 10-8 in the 113-pound final.

Other champions were Alexavier Orellana of Woburn (106), Kai Ly of Minnechaug (132), Miguel Arcila of Salem (150), Sawyer Ayotte of Shepherd Hill (165), Max Holloway of Agawam (215) and Jack Disharoon of Tri-County (285).

On the girls side, Putnam cruised to the team title with 119 points, easily outdistancing Billerica (69), Bridgewater-Raynham (68), Agawam (57), Northeast/Bishop Fenwick (46) and Greater Lawrence (45).

Leanna Watson captured the heavyweight title for Putnam, which placed seven wrestlers among the top four, along with Melanie Miles at 132 pounds. Bridgewater-Raynham also had a pair of winners as Olivia Polansky won the 100-pound title by forfeit, while Kennedie Davis defeated Mia Annello of Billerica 5-2 in the 114-pound final.

Few were more dominant than Shelby Galex of Northeast/Bishop Fenwick. The reigning All-Scholastic pinned her way to the 152-pound title including a win over Sofia Vraka in the final.

Other winners included Hailey Lewis of Silver Lake (107), Allison Reese of Northbridge (120), Caitlin Castoldi of Woburn (126), Gianna Reed of Longmeadow (138), Tessa Johnson of Mansfield (145), Stella Christopher of Agawam (165) and Marisol Almanzar of Greater Lawrence (185).