Tilton, n.h.
Stone stayed away from doctors for fear of bad news, and stuck to a heavy routine of stretching and hip exercises that he hoped would have his body healthy enough for Saturday’s NHIAA Division III state championship meet at Winnisquam High.
Stone became the second wrestler in Royals three-year varsity history to win an individual division title, defeating Bow’s Alex Boufford in the championship match. His leg, he said a little after the match was over, never felt better.
“I thought I was done,” Stone said. “This was my whole focus all week. I don’t think I did very well in classes this week. I got a 31 on an English test because I was so focused like, ‘How am I going to get better?’ … (The hip) feels fine now, because of adrenaline. It almost feels like it never happened.
“I was very lucky to make it to the finals,” he added. “And I was even luckier to pull out with a win.”
Tyler Bill, Mascoma’s dynamic heavyweight, defeated Bow’s William Zachistal in the 285-pound weight class for his 100th career win and second straight title. Bill was the first Royals’ athlete to win an individual division title last year, also at the heavyweight class, and became the first Mascoma wrestler to win back-to-back crowns.
“I told Joe he was going to win today,” Mascoma head coach Rick Simula said. “Not that I expect anything. But when I saw who it was and I saw how they matched up head-to-head before, I knew he was in the running. … I’m psyched. One state champ and a runner-up last year, two state champs this year. You can’t complain.”
Newport freshman phenom Josh Sharron won his own state title at the 126-pound weight class, defeating Bow’s Zackary Anderson in the title match for his first career championship. Sharron, who’s brother, Tyler, is a former Newport wrestling star who now wrestles for Minot State University in North Dakota, admitted a victory feels like keeping a family tradition alive.
“I’ve been wrestling for about 10 years now, so I’m kind of used to it,” said Sharron, who seemed shaken up after a kick to the head during his title match, but came back to win. “It’s kind of hard. Both my brothers (along with his oldest brother, Zakk) were very successful. I just want to go out there and keep the name going.”
“He’s a tough kid, he shook it off,” Newport head coach Cole Boone said of Sharron’s mid-match injury. “Then once he was able to get to work on top, he cemented the win. It was a nice performance.”
Sharron was 24-3 this season for a Tigers program that continues to feature some of the state’s top talent. His next goal is to punch his ticket to the New England meet, which will be determined at today’s NHIAA Meet of Champions event in Nashua.
Two other Newport wrestlers, Dylan Palmer, a four-seed at 152, and Gavin Lovely, the top seed at 170, both fell by slim margins in their title matches.
Palmer’s loss, to Bow senior Mark Borak, was particularly painful. The senior put together a well-designed defensive match and held a 9-4 lead with 43 seconds remaining in the third round before succumbing to a late, desperate lunge by Borak. The attack put Palmer on his back, a position from which he could not recover. He was pinned with 39 seconds remaining.
“I looked up at the clock and I saw 43, and so I was debating whether I should go defensive or I should go offensive and try to work something. I was afraid of getting a stalling call, giving him a point,” Palmer said.
“I don’t think it was a mistake, I think it was just poor choice.”
“He was controlling the match,” added Borak. “I tried a couple of things when he got in on his shot. I tried to do a chip whip and he lifted me 10 feet in the air. So I really had to dig deep.”
Once Borak had Palmer on his back, there was no letting up.
“I’m not letting this go,” he said of his thought process in the moment. “I’m not letting him turn around.”
Lovely, a junior for the Tigers, lost to Monadnock’s lone wrestler, second-seeded Junius Adams, by an 11-10 decision.
Plymouth won its second straight team title and third in four seasons, accumulating 173.5 collective points. Bow took second with 156 points and White Mountains took third with 116.5 points. Newport was sixth with 64 points and Mascoma took ninth with 45 points.
Stone is confident about his team’s future, particularly the progress its made in its short existence at the varsity level. An individual title makes him Mascoma’s go-to guy next season with Bill set to graduate this spring.
“I think Tyler (Bill) is going to win all-states, and I think he has the ability to win New Englands,” Stone said of his Mascoma teammate. “If we had a New England champ? That’d be amazing for myself, for the program.”
Team Scores: Plymouth 173.5, Bow 156, White Mountains 116.5, Campbell 96.5, Pelham 69, Newport 64, Winnisquam 61, Kearsarge 54, Mascoma 45, John Stark 33, Oyster River 23, Monadnock 22, Coe-Brown 16, Sanborn 4.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.