Last year's Triton wrestling team will long be remembered for three major accomplishments:
The Vikings won their first Division 3 state title as a team since 1984.
Three Vikings won sectional titles.
One Viking won a state title.
The common theme for all of those memorable feats is that they were all achieved in February. It's that time of year again for Triton (20-4), a team that is putting together a remarkably similar season to last winter's.
Triton will host the Division 3 North Individual Sectionals Saturday. All three of the team's returning sectional champions — juniors Victor Ramirez (106 lbs.) and Mark Rosmarinofski (120 lbs.) and senior Bryan Giblin (182 lbs.) — will defend their titles.
"I'm going for gold," Rosmarinofski said after his Cape Ann League Open individual title last weekend. "I'm not going to take anything for granted, and I'm going to do as well as I possibly can."
The major difference between this year's February schedule and last year's is that this year's Division 3 North Individual Sectionals will also serve as a qualifier for the Team Sectionals, which will take place Feb. 19 and 20 at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell.
Last year, Triton qualified for the Team Sectionals based on the strength of its record in the dual meet season. This year, the top four teams from Saturday's competition will advance to the Team Sectionals, where they will face off with a collection of 15 Division 3 teams from other regions.
"I really don't like the strategy of winning a team title like this, because I don't think you use your entire team," said Triton coach Shawn McElligott. "It's more a measure of the strength of your top four or five kids, but this is what the MIAA put out there. We'll follow it."
The Vikings capped their regular dual-meet season last night with a 33-15 victory over Pentucket, marking the second consecutive year they finished the regular season with 20 wins. Last year's team went on to run the table in the Division 3 Team Sectionals, an accomplishment this year's team will attempt to match later this month.
The teams that advance to the Team Sectionals will compete in a two-day collection of dual meets. So the format will change from individual scoring to dual-meeting scoring after the qualifier this weekend.
"The strategies in a dual meet are much different," McElligott said. "You maneuver guys around to get the most wins. Sometimes, you put guys in there to avoid pins. It's tough to do that in individual tournaments. You basically just put the best guys in their weight class, and you're stuck."
Lynnfield, Melrose, Wakefield, Minuteman and Wilmington figure to provide Triton with its stiffest competition for one of the four berths to the Team Sectionals. Lynnfield beat Triton in a dual meet, 40-28, Jan. 22.
"We're starting to get healthy again," McElligott said. "Is this the right time? I can tell you that Saturday night. We've been wrestling well all year. I'm looking forward to this opportunity."
Ramirez (30-3 record this season), Rosmarinofski (24-5) and Giblin (33-2) are all favored to repeat as sectional champions. Ramirez's toughest competition at 106 pounds figures to be either Lynnfield's Eric Kerr or Melrose's Ryan Stanton. Rosmarinofski figured to be challenged by Georgetown's Luke Rabel, although the Royal senior missed last weekend's CAL Open with a shoulder injury. Giblin is the clear-cut favorite at 182 pounds.
Other Vikings who figure to be in the mix for sectional titles include brothers Mark (145 lbs., 31-5 record) and Luke Boyle (126 lbs., 34-3 record), both of whom earned CAL Open titles last weekend.
Mark Boyle, a sophomore, could be matched up with Minuteman Tech's Maveric Casia in the final. Luke Boyle, the only Triton freshman to earn a CAL Open title, will be tested by Minuteman Tech's Sean Foley and Wilmington's Scott Gilbert.
Other local wrestlers who could factor in the individual sectional title pictures are Pentucket's Tom Funk (113 lbs.) and Triton's Clay Bruneau (170 lbs.).
The schedule for Sectionals
All matches will be at Triton Regional High.
Round 19:30 to 10 a.m.
Quarterfinals10 to 11:30 a.m.
Round 1 of Consolations11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Semifinals and Round 2 of Consolations12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Consolation Semifinals2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Consolation Finals3:30 to 5 p.m.
Sectional Championships5 to 7 p.m.
Teams competing
Georgetown/Ipswich
Danvers/Hamilton-Wenham
Lowell Catholic
Lynnfield/North Reading
Marblehead/Swampscott
Melrose
Minuteman
Pentucket
Wakefield
Wilmington
Winthrop/Saugus
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