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Brooks leaves his mark on and off mat

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Brooks wrestles his opponent from Hingham. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Senior captain Steve Brooks left his mark in the record book for the wrestling team.

A four-year starter and two-year captain, Steve Brooks left quite a mark on the Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestling program — especially this winter.

The senior captain, who wrestled out of the 160-pound weight class, went 38-11, while tying a school-record for pins in a single-season with 32, as the Panthers (11-8) finished with a winning record for the first time in five years. Brooks also placed fifth at the Div. 2 state tournament to become W-H’s highest finisher since 2015.

“Now that my high school wrestling career has ended, the thing I am most proud of is the fact that I helped to lead my team to the best record we have had in years,” Brooks said. “I wanted to prove to my coaches and myself that my leadership, along with the other captains’ efforts, can create a winning culture in our team for years to come.”

Additionally, Brooks pinned his way to two in-season tournament titles at both Sandwich and Oliver Ames.

“Steve Brooks is a pinning machine,” said W-H wrestling head coach Gary Rabinovitz. “Steve had an exceptional career. I could not be more proud of the hard work and sacrifice that Steve has dedicated to our program over his career.”

Brooks hit the mat as much as he could this offseason.

“Sometimes I’d drive all the way to Dedham to practice with another wrestling team,” he said. “It’s great to have a wide variety of coaches and disciplinary styles to work with. My coaches have done a great job at pushing all the kids to stay in that wrestling groove by working out or going to offseason practice. Even just running for thirty minutes a day is a good way to stay in wrestling shape.”

For as eye-popping as Brooks’ stats were, it was his leadership that stuck out to fellow senior captain Bethany Ralph. She said Brooks, a Patriot League All-Star, knows exactly when and just how to lead.

“Steve is an amazing leader, he’s the quiet yet strong type of leader,” Ralph said. “Whether it’s getting everyone hyped up for our match or whether it’s helping one of the guys cool off after they lost. He’s taught me a lot but the most important being that after you think you don’t have anything left to give, take it from my opponent and work harder.”

Leadership is always at the top of Brooks’ mind.

“I take a lot of pride in being a leader, being a role model and leading by example is one of my most important responsibilities as a captain,” Brooks said. “I’m glad I had my junior year to work on my leadership skills with the team. However, this year I believe I did a much better job at governing my team and motivating them all to work as hard as they humanly can.”

Next season, Brooks will continue his wrestling career at Plymouth State University. And while he’ll trade in his Panther red and black for Panther black and green, he won’t ever forget his roots.

“Whitman-Hanson will always be my home, so I plan on staying in touch with the program and the coaches,” Brooks said. “I can’t wait to see how the team does in the future.”

Season Review: Wrestling moves the mat forward

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A Panther wrestler and Silver Lake wrestler. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestling team finished above .500 for the first time in five years.

Proud is an understatement when Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestling head coach Gary Rabinovitz reflects on this past season.

It’s easy to see why. W-H finished the season with an 11-8 mark, its best record in five years, sent five wrestlers to the D2 state meet and filled all 14 weight classes by early January.

“I cannot say enough about what this year’s team was able to accomplish,” said the fourth-year head coach.

It wasn’t always smooth sailing for the Panthers, who opened the winter 5-7, before catching fire, winning six of their last seven, highlighted by a sweep of Nauset, Rockland and Hanover on Feb. 1.

“Each of my first four years as head coach we lasted a week longer than the previous year,” said the coach. “That means our wrestlers are getting better and that is all that matters.”

Senior captain Steve Brooks (160 pounds) paced the Panthers in every statistical category, going 38-11, while posting 32 pins for 215 points en route to league all-star status.

“Steve Brooks is a pinning machine,” Rabinovitz said. “Steve had an outstanding career as a four-year starter and two-year captain for Whitman-Hanson.”

Junior captain Damari Goldsmith-Greene (138 pounds) was also voted a Patriot League All-Star after going 32-13 and racking up 149 points. He’ll enter his senior campaign with 88 career wins.

“We can’t wait for Damari to reach the 100-win mark as only four Panther wrestlers have ever hit that mark,” said his coach.

Senior captain Bethany Ralph (120 pounds) brought leadership to the mat as well. Also, for the second straight year, Ralph finished as a runner-up in the girls’ wrestling state tournament.

“I noticed from Day One of her freshman year that Bethany Ralph was going to be a special wrestler,” Rabinovitz said. “She brought it all to practice and competition every day for four years. She had one heck of a career.”

Seniors Mike Gardner (182 pounds) and Tyler Cullinan (170 pounds), junior Declan Hanapy (220/285 pounds) and sophomore Joe Boss (106 pounds) also heavily contributed for the Panthers this season.

Rabinovitz said the future of the program relies on numbers and offseason training.

“If we can continue to fill all 14 weight classes with quality kids we will continue to head in the right direction,” Rabinovitz said. “I believe the whole team is excited for next season, we finished on a high note and it really brought this team closer together.”

A career to be proud of: Ralph’s stellar run on the mat comes to an end

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Bethany Ralph with her coaches. / Courtesy photo

Bethany Ralph placed second at 120 pounds in the girls’ wrestling state tournament.

Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestling head coach Gary Rabinovitz called senior captain Bethany Ralph the best female wrestler he’s had.

She showed why once again today at Methuen High.

For the second straight year, Ralph finished as a runner-up in the girls’ wrestling state tournament at 120 pounds, falling to top-seeded Sophia Matthews of Woburn by pin in 3:35.

Seeded third, Ralph defeated Reading’s Latoya Kibusi by pin, 4-0, in 3:27 in the quarterfinals. She then proceeded to pin Alexcia Nou of Durfee in 5:36 (10-2 win) to gain a spot in the finals.

“Obviously, it wasn’t the outcome I expected,” Ralph said. “I don’t want to end my career like that, of course, but I can’t let it keep me down. It was another great experience, for sure. Now the next step is to decide if I go to nationals in Virginia Beach or not.”

W-H head coach Gary Rabinovitz said Ralph has set the bar high for future girl wrestlers at Whitman-Hanson.

“Bethany is highly respected by everyone that knows her, I am so proud that I was able to coach her over her high school career,” Rabinovitz said. “This respect was earned the hard way, by hard work and dedication to her work ethic, weight control and leadership. “

Leadership goes to the mat: Ralph a trailblazer for W-H wrestling

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Bethany Ralph (far left) finishes in second place at the Senators All-Girls Wrestling Tournament on Monday. / Courtesy photo

Bethany Ralph is the first girl to ever captain the W-H wrestling team.

When Bethany Ralph first stepped on the wrestling mat as a freshman at Whitman-Hanson Regional High, she knew she wanted to be a leader, not a follower. 

After all, she was a female in a predominantly male sport, but that was the last thing on her mind. 

“I realized right away, I wanted to be a captain,” Ralph said. 

Why?

“I knew that this was going to be something much more than a sport for me,” she said. “And to lead such an amazing group of young men would mean that I experienced that and earned my position.”

Ralph was one of two females on the roster in the 2016-17 season. Fellow female wrestler and friend Damari Brandao was the reason she decided to hit the mat. 

“She brought it up to me and I decided it was something different and I jumped right into it,” Ralph said.

Gary Rabinovitz, who was in his first season as W-H’s head wrestling coach at the time, was immediately drawn to Ralph‘s passion for the sport. 

“It all comes down to the heart and the work ethic,” Rabinovitz said. “She’s had it since Day One. She came in after the first week, two weeks of the season, black and blue everywhere. Her parents brought her to the doctors to make sure everything was good. It was just from working hard.” 

Now a senior, Ralph’s the first female to ever serve as a W-H wrestling captain.  

“She wanted to work as hard as everybody from Day One,” said Rabinovitz. “She doesn’t consider herself a girl, she considers herself a wrestler. From her work ethic and what she puts into this every day, she has respect from every one of these guys.”

Sophomore wrestler Rocco Ruffini echoed his head coach’s sentiments. 

“We don’t think of her as a girl,” Ruffini said. “She knows when to step up and push us harder. She’s a great leader.”

Ralph is no stranger to being a trailblazer. Last season, she was on the verge of making history, wrestling in the finals of the inaugural MIAA girls’ state wrestling tournament at 120 pounds. She finished second. 

“To be able to make it to the top of the girls’ bracket is also another big accomplishment because I’m just another girl they don’t think can get there,” Ralph said. 

Ralph has even bigger aspirations than a state title as she winds down her career on the mat. 

“Hopefully people will remember my name and I’ll be someone they can look up to someday,” Ralph said. 

Season Preview: For wrestling team, ‘Our first goal is to win 8-plus matches.’

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Damari Goldsmith-Greene readies for his opponent as the bench looks on at the mat. / Courtesy photo

The wrestling team has been stuck on seven wins for the past four seasons.

In each of the past four seasons, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestling team has won seven matches. So, it’s pretty obvious what it’s looking to accomplish this winter.

“Our first goal is to win eight-plus matches,” said fourth-year head coach Gary Rabinovitz.

The Panthers’ prowess on the mat should help them reach that goal.

“This year’s team strength is its past experience on the mat,” said Rabinovitz, whose club went 7-20 last season. “We may only have one or two first-year wrestlers in the starting lineup.”

Junior captain Damari Goldsmith-Greene (138 pounds) leads the way for the Panthers. One of three Panthers who wrestled in the Division 2 state tournament last winter, Goldsmith-Greene posted a team-high 29 wins and was tabbed a Patriot League All-Star.

“Damari has great deal of natural ability, speed and determination are his keys to success,” Rabinovitz said.

Senior captain Steve Brooks, who was hampered by an injury last season, was a state qualifier at 152 pounds. This season, he bumps up to the 160-pound weight class.

“Steve had a very good junior season and the key to his success is his legs,” Rabinovitz said. “Steve is a very good leg wrestler and can pin just about anyone with his favorite move. Steve worked very hard in the offseason.”

Senior Bethany Ralph also captains W-H and is looking to build off of a second-place finish at 120 pounds in the first-ever girls’ state tournament last season.

“Bethany has worked very hard in the offseason and it will be the key to her quest for a state championship,” Rabinovitz said.

Freshmen Braden Kain (132 pounds) and Maddox Colcough (195 pounds), juniors Myles McInnis (126 pounds) and Aiden O’Brien (132 pounds) and sophomore Pat Collett (152 pounds) will also be key to W-H’s success this season.

W-H will be back on the mat Saturday, Jan. 10 at 10 a.m. when it hosts the Whitman-Hanson Tournament.

“I think we are going to surprise a lot of teams this year and be very competitive all season long,” Rabinovitz said.

Season Review: Togetherness a strength for wrestling team

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Photo by: Sue Moss

The wrestling team finished with a 7-20 mark, but was white-hot in the homestretch.

Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestling coach Gary Rabinovitz is coining the 2018-19 season a success.

For the Panthers, who finished the year with wins in four of seven matches, despite their 7-20 mark, they made progress. They sent three wrestlers to state tournaments, as opposed to zero last season, had a sectional finalist and their first tournament champion in two years.

Sophomore Damari Goldsmith-Greene (138 pounds) was a standout for W-H all season long, collecting a team-high 29 wins, placing in four tournaments and finishing seventh at states.

“Damari is a very coachable student-athlete and gives it 100 percent every day in both practice and matches,” Rabinovitz said. “He is a class act and has not even come close to reaching his potential as of yet. I like to say when a wrestler really gets it that he flicks the switch. Damari has certainly flicked the switch and this happened at the sectional tournament. Going forward he will not look back.”

Rabinovitz credited junior captain Steve Brooks (152), who missed 17 matches, with providing the Panthers with their first high point of the season with a win at the Weymouth Tournament on Jan. 12.

“Steve does a great deal of offseason wrestling and I believe that is the key to his continued success,” Rabinvotiz said. “Steve is in the same zone as Damari, he too believes he can win every match that he competes in.”

Junior Bethany Ralph provided the Panthers with another high point, finishing second in the first-ever girls’ wrestling state championship.

“For the past three years Bethany Ralph has been a model of consistency for our team,” Rabinovitz said. “She is one of the hardest workers on our team day in and day out, giving 110 percent every single day. She took a big lead this season and I look forward to her senior leadership next season. Bethany has proven that hard work does pay off.”

Freshmen Jason Rapoza (13 wins at 182) and Rocco Ruffini (10 wins at 220) gave the Panthers a quick glimpse into the future. Junior captain Tyler Cullinan boasted 19 wins, 12 of which came by pinfall, at 160 pounds.

Rabinovitz said togetherness was his team’s strength.

“The team support, especially at the end of a long season when only two wrestlers are left competing was impressive,” Rabinovitz said. “Nearly half the team showed up to practice over the final two weeks to support both Damari and Bethany.”

Sophomore Matt Butler, who was second on the team last season with 16 wins, was held to just 7 matches, in which he was 6-1 in, due to injury.

As for the future, the Panthers will return 12 of 16 tournament place winners and Rabinovitz said he has high optimism for the 2019-20 season already.

“We have several really competitive eighth graders that we have been waiting for and they will finally arrive for next season,” Rabinovitz said. “We are losing only three seniors and two were starters. Time will tell, but offseason wrestling is the key for next season.”

Season Preview: Panthers wrestling team no longer lacks experience

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Tyler Cullinan records a pin in the Panthers’ opener. / Photo from: Gary Rabinovitz

The Panthers look to snap a streak of two seven-win seasons.

What was once a weakness is now a strength for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestling team.

“We were very young last season and all of our returning wrestlers gained valuable varsity time,” said third-year head coach Gary Rabinovitz. “In wrestling, experience and mat time counts and we have a lot of that returning this year. Taking your licks one year makes you a better wrestler the next.”

The Panthers return all three of their Div. 2 South Sectional qualifiers and their top two wins leaders, as they try to push past the seven-win mark, where they’ve been stuck on for the past two winters.

“The goal has been to grow this program to the next level and that has not changed,” Rabinovitz said. “We will look to improve on our dual meet win-loss record and then qualify several wrestlers for the D2 state championships in February.”

The program’s youth is its best chance to propel it to the next level. Junior captain Steve Brooks returns to the mat to compete in the 152-pound weight class yet again after posting a team-leading 19 victories and 15 pins to qualify for Div. 2 South Sectionals last season.

“Steve worked hard in the offseason wrestling at Dungeon Training Center in Hanover,” Rabinovitz said. “With two sessions of offseason wrestling under his belt, Steve should be a more competitive wrestler this year.”

Sophomores Matt Butler, Damari Goldsmith-Greene and Myles McInnis headlined an impressive core of freshmen to hit the mat last season. The three combined for 38 wins. Butler returns to the 126-pound weight class after he ranked second on the team with 16 victories, placed in three tournaments and qualified for the Div. 2 South Sectionals.

“Matt Butler brings a lot of energy and experience to this year’s team,” Rabinovitz said.

Goldsmith-Greene produced 11 victories and 55 points out of the 132-pound weight class last winter. “Damari has been working very hard every day in practice and looks like a seasoned veteran,” Rabinovitz said. “Damari will start the season in the 138-pound weight class and looks to drop to the 132-pound weight class before too long.”

Myles McInnis also racked up 11 victories, but in the 106-pound weight class. This winter he’ll compete at 113 pounds. His brother Joel McInnis, a senior, was the team’s other sectional qualifier after a 12-win season at 145 pounds, a weight class he’ll return to.

“Both were varsity starters last season and have tons of experience,” Rabinovitz said.

Junior Tyler Cullinan will serve as one of the captains and bump up to the 170-pound weight class from 160, where he tallied 11 wins last season.

“Tyler surprised many as a wrestler last season with a deadly headlock that I know he will be using again this season,” Rabinovitz said.

Junior Matt Rock will provide the team with some much-needed depth due to his ability to compete at both 120 and 126 pounds. Senior captain Christian Schneider is back from a knee injury and will wrestle in the 195-pound weight class. A pair of freshmen in Joe Boss (106 pounds) and Jason Rapoza (182) will be looked upon to have an immediate impact.

“I look for this team to grow week after week so that we peak at the proper time, that being sectionals and then the state tournament,” Rabinovitz said.

The Panthers return to mat Saturday at Dec. 15 beginning at 9:30 a.m. for a super-quad meet in Marshfield. 

“Dec. 19 at Silver Lake will be a real barn-burner, as we have split the last two seasons,” Rabinovitz said. “Jan. 30 should also be a big match with Duxbury as we surprised them last year at Duxbury.”

Taking on the Tough Ruck challenge: Panther alum DeMinico takes on a unique marathon-length march

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Former Panther and Nittany Lion Brody DeMinico, seen in front of the Penn State mascot statue, will march 26.2 miles with a 40-pound pack to raise funds for veterans on April 14. / Courtesy photo

Whitman-Hanson Regional High alum Brody DeMinico (’13), a four-year high school wrestler and boys’ lacrosse player, is marching for a cause Saturday, April 14.

Over the Old North Bridge, onto the roads of Concord and through the Minutemen Trail, Hanson resident Brody DeMinico will carry an immense weight on his shoulders.

DeMinico will participate in this year’s Tough Ruck on Saturday, April 14. The course, which commences at the historic Old Manse, is a 26.2-mile march along the Battle Road Trail in Concord. “Ruckers” also carry a rucksack, weighing a minimum of 15 pounds along the marathon, and ribbons in memory of fallen service members.

For DeMinico, his rucksack will weigh 40 pounds and he will carry a yellow ribbon to remember Army veteran, Sgt. Ryan Patrick Goggin, who lost a battle with leukemia March 31, 2017. Goggin is the late cousin of Hanson resident Robert Goggin, who reached out to DeMinico on his fundraiser page for the event in early April to wear Ryan’s name.

“It’s a huge honor to know that someone sacrificed their life so that I could do this,” DeMinico said. “It’s a huge weight on my shoulders to honor someone that fought and died for this country.”

While the Tough Ruck’s main mission is to honor fallen service members, fundraising is a key component of the event. Each “rucker” must raise up to a certain benchmark, depending on what rucksack they strive to wear, to compete in the event. DeMinico has raised just shy of $1,000 for The Wounded Warrior Project.

DeMinico himself has been a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard since 2013.

“My grandfather was in the military, so I just followed in his footsteps,” DeMinico, a 2013 Whitman-Hanson Regional High graduate, said.

It was in Pennsylvania, while studying at Penn State, and participating in its ROTC program, that DeMinico grasped the true understanding of how tough it is to lose someone in the line of duty.

“I’ve known instructors that have seen people die in front of them, and it’s just been a heavy weight knowing there are soldiers that have gotten the chance to go across the ocean in other countries and have fought for our freedom and died,” DeMinico said. “I want to deploy so I can feel the honor that they’ve had.”

The Tough Ruck will begin at 7:20 a.m. and “ruckers” have nine hours to complete the trek.

“I’m doing this for everyone that’s had a family member that’s fallen or is wounded,” DeMinico said. “I’m doing this for everyone in the Whitman-Hanson area.”

Wrestling with fame: Former W-H principal, wrestling coach headed to National Wrestling Hall of Fame

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Bob Gay. / Courtesy photo

Longtime Whitman-Hanson Regional High Wrestling coach Bob Gay will be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Bob Gay would not have guessed that a late-night phone call would lead to a Hall of Fame career in a sport he knew nothing about.

It was Nov. 30, 1979 and Gay had just concluded his fourth season as the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ golf coach. He was sitting in the dining room of his Raynham home testing his luck at Trivial Pursuit when he heard a ring. It was Ron Brown. The two knew each other well as they were colleagues in the W-H history department and Brown would occasionally attend some of the girls’ golf team’s away matches. But, this call wasn’t about history or golf. Brown, who had started W-H’s wrestling program two years back, needed an assistant coach.

“He asked, ‘Can I come to practice the next day?”’ Gay said.

Gay had no prior wrestling experience, but he — still a bit shocked — obliged.

“Everything was foreign to me,” Gay recalled. “I didn’t know how to score, I didn’t know the moves. It was like a brand-newexperience.”

However, Gay didn’t let his lack of knowledge hinder him one bit. He watched, listened, and attended coaches workshops and clinics along the way. 

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The 1987-88 Panther wrestling team’s members celebrate the first South Sectional Championship in school history – under the coaching of Bob Gay, inset. / Courtesy photo

“My job would be to make sure the kids would get into shape and were working out and all that stuff,” Gay said. “When Ron would get there, he would go into the instructional part of practice.”

Gay served as the assistant coach for five seasons, before taking the 1984-85 campaign off for personal reasons. At the outset of the 1985-86 season, he was back and elevated to head coach at W-H. It was a post he held until 2001.

During the course of his 16-year stint, the Panthers reached unprecedented heights. They claimed nine league titles, won three South Sectional championships, boasted nine state champions and had a span in the mid-1990s where they won 53 straight dual meets. The accomplishments of the program became Gay’s biggest recruiting tool.

“Kids like to enjoy some success,” Gay, who also served as the assistant principal at W-H from 1988-95 and the principal from 1995-2001, said. “At the time at Whitman-Hanson, the hockey team was just up-and-coming and the basketball program was going through some lean years, so if an athlete came into the school he would see the kids wearing their championship t-shirts or jackets or such for high school wrestling and I think that drew a lot of the kids that could have gone and played other sports to us.”

Gay’s wrestlers changed by the season, but his expectations of his Panthers wrestling program did not.

“We had the three same goals every year,” Gay said. “Good sportsmanship – I want them to represent their parents, their school, their team with good sportsmanship. No. 2: we’re going to have a positive experience. I want them to have fun, they’re not going to come out and stay on the team if they’re having a miserable time. No. 3: the goal is we will win. We’re not going to practice this hard, work this hard and lose. Losing is not acceptable.”

Because of Gay, W-H created a Good Sportsmanship Award aimed to recognize fairness and respect for one’s opponent displayed outside of its own program.

“I thought, at the time, we have our own awards for most improved wrestler, MVP, rookie of the year, but I thought we should be acknowledging people who displayed good sportsmanship on other teams,” Gay explained. “So, the first one to ever win it was the Rockland High School wrestling coach, Jeff Perkins. He just was a good guy. If he lost a close match he was a gracious loser, if he won a close match he was a gracious winner. Some years we’d give it to a wrestler from another team, some years we’d give it to an official or referee.”

In 2012, Gay began coaching wrestling again as an assistant to one of his former wrestlers at W-H, Nick Flynn, on the inaugural Bristol-Plymouth/Coyle-Cassidy co-op. Gay became the head coach the following season, a position he still holds today.

“If you walked into a Bristol-Plymouth/Coyle-Cassidy practice you would swear you were at a Whitman-Hanson practice,” Gay said. “I brought everything that worked and was successful.”

A few months ago, Gay was shocked again. Not via telephone this time, like it had been 39 years back, but by a piece mail postmarked Stillwater, Oklahoma.

“I don’t know anyone there,” Gay recalled of his reaction to receiving the piece of mail.

But, he went on to open it anyway. The letter explained he was selected to be inducted into this year’s class of the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

For Gay, who has already been inducted into the MA Wrestling Coaches’ Hall of Fame in 2012 and New England Wrestling Coaches’ Hall of Fame in 2016, this is the ultimate achievement.

“It really humbles me very much,” Gay said. “I’m looking at the people who have gone in in previous years and you talk about the giants in the sport in our state, and when I first started as Ron’s assistant in ‘79, these people were legends back then and suddenly I’m going to be receiving the same Hall of Fame recognition. It’s an amazing thing, it’s just an amazing thing.”

Gay, despite all the success (355 wins and counting), tried to never stray too far from his primary message.

“We had a lot of wins and we had a lot of titles and stuff, but I’m hoping when all is said and done that I’ve had a positive impact on as many kids as I can,” Gay said.

Gay’s induction will take place Saturday, April 7 at Gillette Stadium.

“That call changed my entire life,” Gay said with a laugh.

Season Review: Youth takes control on wrestling mats

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The Panthers during a Jan. 3 meet against Plymouth South. / Photo by: Sue Moss

One season after boasting a core of six seniors – three of which competed in the Division 2 state tournament – the Panthers had an infusion of young talent this winter.

The 2017-18 campaign served as a bridge year for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High wrestling team, which finished the winter at 7-13.

One season after boasting a core of six seniors – three of which competed in the Division 2 state tournament – the Panthers had an infusion of young talent this winter. Not only did they boast 10 freshmen and eight sophomores on their roster, but a significant number of them ended up playing large roles.

For starters, sophomore Steve Brooks (152 pounds) seized the most of his opportunity, racking up a team-leading 19 wins, after just three the year prior. Freshman Matt Butler (126) also took his opportunity by storm, ranking second on the team with 16 victories to conclude his inaugural campaign. Second-year Panthers wrestling head coach Gary Rabinovitz admitted he wasn’t expecting much out of either at the outset of the year.

“We really had two big surprises this season,” Rabinovitz said. “First is freshman Matt Butler. Matt placed in three tournaments this year. The second surprise is sophomore Steve Brooks, [who also] placed in three tournaments for us. Steve proved that offseason wrestling really works.” Screen Shot 2018-02-24 at 12.02.00 PM

Also, bursting onto the scene for W-H were freshmen Damari Goldsmith-Greene (132), Theo Kamperides (113) and Myles McInnis (106).

“We had a great group of freshmen this season and I am looking forward to many of them playing a big role in next year’s team,” Rabinovitz said. “These kids are the future of our program. With another class like these guys next year, we could be a force before too much longer. I really see us winning 75 percent of our dual meets next year, [but] time will tell.”

While the youth movement was evident, the Panthers still received plenty of production out of their two senior captains – Ben Cordingley (138) and Steve Osborne (182). The two combined to win 28 matches and account for 154 of W-H’s points this season.

“Both Ben and Steve have been great leaders for our squad this year,” Rabinovitz said. “Ben was a four-year wrestler and was very consistent this year winning some big matches for us.

“Steve was a very vocal leader always putting the team ahead of himself and his leadership was very much appreciated. Steve was a three-year wrestler for us. Both Ben and Steve led by example throughout the season.”

For the Panthers as a team, they began the season at 4-5 after a 45-36 victory over Duxbury on Jan. 10, before dropping to 5-12 with one meet remaining. And in that final tri-meet Feb 3, the Panthers went 2-1 with wins over Norwood (46-36) and Everett (30-24) to cap the season off on the right note.

Rabinovitz said that despite the team falling a bit short of his expectation, which was at least 10 wins, he is looking for his players to remain driven.

“Offseason wrestling is a critical part of our growth as a wrestling program,” Rabinovitz said. “All of the kids are encouraged to participate in offseason wrestling or play another high school sport.”