West Canaan
What the Royals junior thought was a dislocated shoulder turned out to be a torn labrum. An MRI confirmed he needed surgical repair, an operation that would have forced Mascoma’s top heavyweight to sit out a majority of his wrestling season for the second time in two years.
Not again, he thought.
Last year, Bill wrestled in just 10 matches before the NHIAA Division III state tournament after a hematoma in his left leg, from football, forced him to sit out Mascoma’s inaugural varsity season. He placed second at the 285-pound weight class before he fell to sixth a week later at the New Hampshire Meet of Champions, the result of a combination of inexperience and the lack of training in an injury-shortened season that left Bill unprepared.
“My leg, it was tender for a long time,” Bill said on Thursday during a light mid-afternoon practice in the Mascoma cafeteria. “I had to wear a pad on it throughout the season (last year) just to make sure it wasn’t bumped or bruised. Luckily, it hasn’t set me back at all this year.”
Bill vowed to train harder in the offseason, seeing his junior year as a second chance to put his name — and a Mascoma wrestling program still very much in its infancy — on the map. So when doctors changed his diagnosis from surgery to six weeks of physical therapy, and cleared him the week Mascoma hit the mats, Bill thought it all the more reason to show NHIAA D-III wrestling just what he could do.
He hasn’t disappointed.
Bill holds a 30-1 record ahead of Saturday’s D-III state championship meet and is the undisputed wrestler-to-beat in his weight class, ranked No. 1 ahead of second-seeded Jared Benoit, from Plymouth, and third seed Tyler Hall, from Newport. He is almost a lock to punch his ticket to next week’s Meet of Champions tournament and, if all goes according to plan, could become the first Mascoma wrestler to reach the New England Wrestling Championships, held on March 3 at the Providence (R.I.) Career and Technical Center.
Mascoma head coach Rick Simula has high hopes for his heavyweight; Bill might be the Royals’ most committed athlete to wrestling year-round. But perhaps more importantly is the fact that Bill is only a junior and could turn out to be Mascoma’s first highly accomplished wrestler to come through Simula’s ranks.
“You’re not a wrestler just because you joined wrestling,” Simula said.
“You’re a wrestler when you put in the effort (in the) offseason, and I think that’s where a lot of (Bill’s) success has come from. There’s nothing that I’ve taught him or showed him that has necessarily led to his success. I think it’s been his own drive and determination.”
Bill began wrestling in second grade, but started getting serious about it when Simula brought wrestling to the school. Since then he has been fully committed to the sport, with plans to eventually wrestle in college.
This season, Bill’s drive has reaped the benefits of an almost perfect record.
“I expected it because I put in the work over the summer,” Bill said. “There’s a lot more to wrestling than just being strong or in good shape. It’s all about technique and making sure you can hit moves with finesse.”
In previous seasons, Bill has been able to practice with teammates in similar weight classes. This year, Bill has worked with Mascoma’s assistant coaches, or Simula himself.
Unlike most heavyweights, Simula said, it’s Bill’s speed that catches most opponents off-guard.
“Some heavyweights, it’s kind of a slower pace,” Simula said. “He’s a fast-paced kid. He’s got good hips, he’s offensive and I think he can be defensive whereas some heavyweights are kind of just slow and methodical.”
Mascoma is hoping Bill can use that speed to his advantage in the next few weeks, particularly against D-I and D-II opponents that the Royals haven’t faced much this season. Bill said he’s encouraged the by the challenge of some tough competition.
“I like to give all my opponents advice to better their wrestling by making them better, and making them a more difficult opponent for me,” Bill said.
“I don’t like to go out on the mat and only wrestle for 20 seconds for a quick pin. I like to be out there as long as I can. That’s how much wrestling means to me. I’m going to try and better them. But when we step on the mat, you better watch out.”
Newport High wrestling teams in recent years have had plenty of high-caliber star power to feature at the D-III state championship. This year’s meet at Winnisquam should be no different.
Senior Tyler Sharron is the Tigers’ standout at 160, is ranked No. 1 overall by WrestlingNH.com in his weight class and is the bona fide favorite to sweep D-III and earn a favorable spot in next weekend’s Meet of Champions. Tigers head coach Cole Boone is impressed with the way Sharron has stepped up as the team’s new leader following Stephen Nix’s graduation last year.
“Tyler is a dedicated wrestler,” Boone said on Wednesday. “Stephen was such a good leader for us for the last three years. It’s nice to have someone like Tyler carry that from year to year.”
Newport has plenty of highly ranked athletes that should finish in the top three of their weight classes for a spot at next weekend’s Meet of Champions.
Matt Hennig is seeded second behind White Mountains’ Jared Cape at 170, Michael Tremblay is seeded second behind Plymouth’s Troy Johnson and third-seeded Tyler Hall will go up against Mascoma’s Bill at 285.
But the weight class to watch is 182, with a crowded top three that Mascoma coach Simula thinks could be a toss-up. Plymouth’s Garrett Macedonia holds the first seed over No. 2 Gavin Lovely, of Newport, and No. 3 Sheldon Farnsworth, of Mascoma. Lovely has beaten Farnsworth twice this season, but Simula said he likes Farnsworth’s chances.
“I think he can beat any of those kids,” Simula said. “He wrestled the Lovely kid twice and lost, but those were tooth-and-nail matches. He wrestled him way better the second time than the first time, and learned how to wrestle him a little bit tougher. … If he shows up in a good mental state, I don’t see why he can’t upset the No. 1 or No. 2 seed.”
Saturday’s D-III state championship begins at 9 a.m.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.