Hollis Brookline wrestling starts fast, holds off Merrimack

HOLLIS - Travis Guthrie tried to just focus on the fact he was wrestling for Hollis Brookline High School in Wednesday's dual meet against Merrimack.

The fact that it was senior night was something he didn't want to think to much about.

No matter what was on Guthrie's mind, he got the job done, pinning Merrimack's Jarred Serrentino in the 182-pound match to help the Cavaliers to a 56-19 win over a Tomahawks team that was down a couple of regulars.

"I wasn't thinking of it as the last home meet," Guthire said. "I've been trying not to think about it because it's been a sad thing, that this is my last year wrestling. I really do love this sport and it's a hard thing to think about, that this is the last year. It felt great to go out there and wrestle, and I won. Probably one of the most important home dual meets I could do that."

Guthrie stepped into an open spot in the lineup and performed well, which is something HB coach Brian Bumpus has come to expect from the senior.

"You never know when you're number is getting called to be thrown out there," he said. "Travis has paid his dues for four years now. Even at the beginning of the season, for him to have not won that spot and still show up every day, and work as hard as the next guy, just hoping he'll get his shot, and it paid off."

HB won the first six matches of the night, the last five in a row ending in a pin that put the Cavaliers up 34-0. But despite that, both coaches felt like those early matches were more competitive than the scoreboard might have shown.

"It was kind of a 50-50 night," Merrimack coach Tim McMahon said. "We wrestled better than I thought we would in a couple of matches, but we didn't give everything we had in a couple of others. We were down a couple of guys, so I didn't expect to come in here and beat Hollis in a dual, but there were some big matches.

"I thought we were competitive for a period or two, and then maybe we realized who the kid we were wrestling was. We were good for two or three minutes, and then a mistake here or there, and suddenly, we're on our backs."

Christian Lopez started the night for HB with a 15-5 win over Bryce Chouhard at 152 pounds and Andrew Butler (160) followed with a pin of Cody Bachand that was the 100th win of Butler's four-year career.

HB's Waytt Farwell (170) then pinned Pheonix Stopyra before Guthrie's win, and Kayne Robert (195) followed with a pin of Shane Heath and Clement Sherwood (220) did the same against Adam Black.

"There's a lot of momentum that goes into it," Guthrie said. "It's an individual (on the mat), but if a team starts piling up wins, it certainly helps moral. It helps that our heavier half is our more experienced and stronger wrestlers."

Merrimack's Tyler Tiano (285) won by forfeit and Zachary Bulow pinned Cameron Dreyer at 106 to give the Tomahawks their first two wins and make it 34-12. But Savannah Eliza (113) won by forfeit for HB and Garrett Klausner pinned Nick Laroach to put the Cavs up 46-12.

The Tomahawks also got wins from Eric Theriault, who beat Thomas Hoey 10-4 at 126, and from Sean Hebert, who beat Lucas Cummings 13-1 at 138.

"Our 106-pounder impressed me, he got after it pretty well," McMahon said. "The 138-pound match was very surprising. Our kid is tough, but he's had a double ear infection and has been sick all week. He wrestled really well against a pretty tough kid in Cummings."

HB's Nathaniel Lindsay pinned Greg Walters at 132 and Nick McPherson finished the night with a 12-4 win over Kyle Newman at 145.