Pats crush Titans to retain City Cup

By Jacob Marrocco
Posted 1/24/17

The Warwick wrestling City Cup will once again reside in the hallways of Pilgrim High School.

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Pats crush Titans to retain City Cup

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The Warwick wrestling City Cup will once again reside in the hallways of Pilgrim High School

The Pats (8-1 in Division I) led wire-to-wire during their City Cup bout with Toll Gate, defeating their crosstown rivals 51-13 to hoist the trophy once again on enemy territory.

“It feels great,” Pilgrim wrestler Jacob Zuller said. “We’re all working hard, trying to set goals and reach them. We had some bumps [earlier this year] trying to see where everybody fits in the lineup, but I think we’re getting over them.”

Pilgrim and Toll Gate (7-0 in Division II) were the main event of the day, following an exhibition between Winman and Warwick Vets and a short wrestling clinic for young Warwick PAL athletes. The two sides broke convention, starting with the 160-pound weight class.

Garrison Potter made relatively quick work of his Toll Gate counterpart, Connor Tainsh. Potter pinned Tainsh just about halfway through the second round to give Pilgrim the early 6-0 advantage.

“It’s been a goal we’ve been working towards for a long time,” Potter said of winning the Cup. “To win it back-to-back years, it’s a really big accomplishment for us and the team.”

Pilgrim’s Tyler Parton kept the momentum going during the 170 tilt, pinning Everett Lewis with just a couple of seconds to go in the first round. Ryan Barker avoided the pin during the 182, but Steven Kavanagh still carried the decision easily to make it 17-0.

Logan Amirault got the Titans on the board in the 195. Amirault refused to let Josh Sepulveda get on the board, shutting him out to make it 17-3 as Toll Gate tried to inch closer.

That shift would be short-lived. Marcus Eckert (220) and Tyler Vierra (285) both subdued their opponents to pick up an additional 12 points for the Pats, cushioning the lead at 29-3.

There was no 106 contest, so Pilgrim transitioned seamlessly into the 113. Eric Watts managed to pin Billy Brogno late in the first round. John Castaldi boosted Pilgrim to a 38-3 advantage after edging out Ethan Pierce in the 120.

Andrew Soares came back on Toll Gate’s Datyn Deasley in the 126. Beasley led 2-0 during the second round, but Soares picked up four points to hold on for a 4-2 victory. Zuller cruised past his opponent in the 132, Jorden DaPonte, to continue adding to Pilgrim’s ever-growing margin.

Ja’mon van Heyningen picked up Pilgrim’s final win of the evening in the 138, dominating David Digiacomo during all three rounds before earning the pin with just 26 seconds remaining.

Jared Hughes and Kyle Brown ended on positive notes for Toll Gate. Hughes was down as many as seven in the 145 against Phillip Page, but eventually battled back to pin Page late in the second set.

Kyle Brown held off Kendall Watts in the 152 to get Toll Gate on the board last, but Pilgrim had sealed the championship long ago.

“Rivalries are funny. Toll Gate, Vets, Pilgrim, it didn’t matter who had the better team on paper,” Pilgrim head coach Tom O’Connor said. “It came down to whoever just wrestled better that day. It didn’t matter what you challenge them to, once you went against the other city school it kind of gets ramped up a notch.”

The high school matchup capped a lengthy day of wrestling aimed at helping to grow the sport throughout the city.

“I’ve been coaching for 16 years and they always said there was going to be a middle school program, and I almost gave up hope,” O’Connor, whose son participated in the Warwick PAL exhibition, said. “It’s nice to see the numbers and Vets and Winman go at it, and their PAL kids there. I think it was definitely a positive for the sport as a whole.”

Next up for Pilgrim is a showdown with another crosstown rival, Bishop Hendricken. The four-time reigning state champions have struggled this season to the tune of a 4-5 record, but have won four of their last six after dropping their first three meets of the year.

“Just more hard work,” Potter said of what Pilgrim needs to work on between now and the time the state championship meet rolls around. “We’ve put in the time, now we just need to keep going, moving forward and keep working hard.”

The Titans will look to get back on track tomorrow during a home tri-meet against Barrington (2-5-1) and Central Falls (0-6).

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