By Adam Aucoin
THE RUTLAND HERALD
This time last year, high school wrestling teams across the state were picking up the pieces of a lost season.
Coming off a successful return last winter, the sport is ready to build off the momentum it built.
Wrestling season has been Mount Anthony’s playground for more than three decades, but the gap has closed in recent seasons with teams like Essex and Spaulding giving the Patriots a run for their money.
Rutland County’s three teams, Fair Haven, Mill River and Otter Valley, and outside of it at Springfield, are itching to make their mark this winter.
Fair Haven
Fair Haven was on the brink of an individual state champion last winter in the state championship meet at CVU, but then-sophomore Trey Lee came up just short in the championship match.
Lee, a junior, returns with championship aspirations in mind and anchors a six-wrestler Slaters varsity roster. Lee will wrestle at 126 pounds.
Joining Lee is senior siblings Paityn DeLong and Colton DeLong, and a trio of sophomores, Konner Savage, Liam Robinson and Gabe Bache.
Fair Haven also had six middle school wrestlers, five of which being eighth graders, so the team will have reinforcements for the coming years.
Paityn DeLong ended up placing fourth in the girls national championships last year in her weight class. Coming off a standout field hockey season, she’ll be wrestling at 145 pounds.
Colton DeLong wrestles at 220, Bache at 170, Robinson at 152 and Savage at 138.
“I don’t see us being a state championship team because we don’t have enough bodies, but when you wrestle us, you’re going to go up against some tough, competitive kids,” said Slaters coach Scott Shaddock, who is in his 31st year coaching the Fair Haven team.
Shaddock is assisted by Tristan Hyatt and Matt Tuscano. Hyatt just graduated last year and was a standout wrestler. Tuscano was a state champion for Shaddock at Fair Haven and was the Rutland High School wrestling coach.
The Slaters are focusing on the fundamentals in the preseason, knowing that will serve them well when the matches mean the most. A major focus in the early going has been working on transitions.
Fair Haven opens on Saturday at St. Johnsbury.
Mill RiverMill River graduated its lone individual-placing wrestler from last year’s team, but has multiple athletes returning this winter.
The Minutemen have six varsity wrestlers and four at the junior high level.
“It’s better than last year’s six,” said Mill River coach Lee Tyminski.
The returning wrestlers are sophomores Carly Erickson at the 132-pound weight class, Jaden Harrington at 152 or 170 and Taylor Patch at 160.
Freshman Ethan Patch moves up from junior high to the varsity team. Ethan Patch will wrestle at 195. Levi Billings and Christopher Alexander are the teams’ two seniors. Billings will wrestle at 172.
The Minutemen have gotten some additional coaching from three-time state champion Zach Allen, who is now a physical education teacher at Mill River. Allen stopped into a practice last week to give some pointers.
The Minutemen are focused on developing.
“In a month, we’ll see where everyone is at,” Tyminski said.
Mill River opens on Saturday at St. Johnsbury.
Otter Valley
The Otter Valley wrestling team is coming off a successful campaign where it finished fifth at the state championship meet at CVU.
There’s plenty of talent coming back from that squad, so expectorations for the Otters remains high, but OV coach Cole Mason wants to let the results on the mat do the talking.
“On paper, we’re pretty good, but that’s paper,” Mason said. “We’ll see what they’re made of when we go out there and wrestle.
“We return a lot guys. We have some good horsepower coming up from the middle school that’s returning after a year off, but it’s all about what they do on the mat. We’re a great paper team, but outside of paper, I don’t know.”
As of Monday, OV had 19 wrestlers on the varsity roster.
Otter Valley had six wrestlers place at states last year led by Sam Martin’s runner-up finish. Caleb Whitney, Tucker Babcock, Simon Martin, Chase Cram and Jackson Marks all placed as well, including a third-place finish for Whitney.
Mason has pointed to Whitney, wrestling at 138 or 145, and Babcock, wrestling at 152 or 160, as two key leaders on this year’s club.
“Caleb is probably right around the same weight. He’s put some effort in this offseason and he’s ready to be at the top of the podium,” Mason said.
“(Tucker) has hit the gym hard and he’s hit the mats hard, so I expect good things out of him.”
There are plenty of other wrestlers expected to make an impact, but a wrestler who has really showed improvement has been Derek Li, OV’s heavyweight wrestler at 285.
“He’s slimmed down and he’s hit the weight room.”
Thomas Given will wrestle at 106 or 113 pounds, Ethan Ross will wrestle at 120, Fair Haven transfer Lincoln Wilcox will wrestle at 132, MSJ student Kingston Cotter will join Whitney at 138 or 145, Carter Giles will wrestle at 145 and Cram will wrestle at 145 or 152.
Malachai Sheldrick, Khasey Gilbert and Nick Prouty join Babcock at 152 or 160, Lillyana Mahoney will wrestle at 160, Drake Felkl will wrestle at 160 or 170, Isaac Whitney will wrestle at 182 and Keevon Parks will wrestle at 182 or 195.
Simon Martin and Colin Carroccia will wrestle at 195 or 220 and Brice Dusablon will wrestle at 220.
Otter Valley opens hosting a tri-meet against Middlebury and Mount Hermon Prep on Friday, before competing in the NAC Tournament on Saturday.
Mason knows the competition against a local rival like the Tigers and a prep school like Mount Hermon will be a good springboard into the season.
Springfield
Over the past handful of seasons, development has been paramount for Springfield.
Each year, the team has taken another step forward as it looks to enter the contender conversation on the state stage.
To do that, teams need to be cohesive and have a common goal in mind. The Cosmos feel like they are taking another step forward in that regard.
To create the cohesion, Springfield has entered into a co-op agreement with Windsor and Bellows Falls that allows their athletes’ scores to count for the Cosmos come state tournament time.
“It’s the first year of the agreement. It’s a big step forward for the future,” said Springfield coach Don Beebe. “As they get older, they’ll develop and we can still be together on the same team.”
Springfield is coming off a ninth-place finish at the state championship meet last winter.
The Cosmos lost two very strong seniors from that team, but return lots of quality talent. According to Beebe, there are 27 wrestlers in the program, between varsity and middle school.
Springfield boasts five seniors this season with Cole Wright, David Rigney, Arman Kazarian, Trent Rumrill and Kaylee Moore.
Moore is one of two females on the roster, along with Abby Williams, from Green Mountain.
Wright will wrestle at 285 pounds, Rumrill at 220, Kazarian at 152 and Rigney and Moore both at 145.
Other standouts include Noah Markwell at 106 who placed fourth at states, Braiden Pinsenault at 113, Dillan Lacasse at 126, Windsor’s Kolin Labarre at 132 and Nick Harrison at 138, Braydon Rumrill at 170 or 182 and Hunter Ferland at 195. Williams is slated to wrestle at 152 and will represent the Chieftains at states.
Springfield opens the season at St. Johnsbury on Saturday.
adam.aucoin @rutlandherald.com
Follow on Twitter: @AAucoin_RH
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