WILBRAHAM - For Minnechaug wrestling head coach Jake Strohman, Saturday’s Western Massachusetts Division I final versus No. 3 Agawam was “a business day.”
After watching the Brownies defeat No. 2 Holyoke in the semifinals 42-30 earlier in the morning, the Falcons took care of their own business in the title match, winning 54-24 to claim the sectional title.
With a trip to the state semifinals secured, a date and opponent for Minnechaug has yet to be determined.
The Falcons won eight of their nine matches via pins, with junior Austin Monteiro kicking things off at 132 with a pin over Agawam’s Joe Breault in 20 seconds. One match later, senior Jake Ice (138) pinned Ilya Shiemanov in 1:12 to pick up another victory for Minnechaug.
Strohman said it was really important to him that his guys “just set a tone right from the beginning.”
“I’m just super proud of all of them,” he said. “We knew we should win this, and in our little talk beforehand I was like ‘guys, no messing around. Let’s get out there, get the job done.’
“We had a good match, our level of talent on this team is pretty high,” Strohman added. “It doesn’t feel like we’re quite done yet, but it feels good.”
Following a quick start with two pins, the Falcons continued to flex their muscles on the mat, as freshman Elliott Humphries (145) and sophomore Cam Ice (152) needed a combined 40 seconds to secure wins in their respective weight divisions.
Sophomore Liam Meeker (160) picked up a win via forfeit for Minnechaug, which was subsequently followed up by a pin in 21 seconds for freshman Nick Enzor (170). The last two victories for Minnechaug were recorded by senior Ryan Eplite (220) and sophomore Dom Mazzuca (heavyweight), as they pinned their opponents in 29 and 52 seconds, respectively.
In a season unlike any other, the Falcons played the cards they were dealt, as their sectional title triumph wasn’t won in the traditional way.
Jake Ice acknowledged this, but also credited the team for putting in the work to get to where they are today.
“It’s obviously a lot different,” said Jake Ice, referring to this year’s postseason. “It’s not individual, it’s a team tournament, but it’s still great turnout and everybody’s happy, everybody’s having fun.”
“We’ve been training hard all season,” he continued. “Nobody has lost a single match yet on our team, so everybody’s been going out and taking care of business. It’s been a pretty fun season.”
From Strohman’s perspective, keeping his wrestlers motivated throughout the season has come with turning down the intensity, while also providing learning opportunities for the team.
“It’s really just keeping it light, a little less structured or intense for this season,” he said.
“A lot of them are high school kids who are trying to have fun in the spring time going into the summer,” Strohman added. “We’re showing them different techniques, more moves, just to keep them coming back wanting to come to practice because I know how hard it could be, especially in the middle of summer.”
All four Brownie wins came via forfeit, with Jordin Agosto (106), Rhein Ingham (120), Athena Gonzalez (182) and Arianna Nivar (195) each being credited with a victory.
While Agawam is an extremely youthful program with no upperclassmen, Strohman had high praise for the Brownies’ future potential.
“In three or four years, that team is gonna be a powerhouse,” he said, “so it was good to get them now because they’re really young, they have a lot of potential over the next few years.
“It’s great for them to get a lot of experience too, because we’re trying to grow this area of wrestling.”
Without the knowledge of who, when or where Minnechaug will be wrestling next, Strohman is confident the Falcons can make some noise.
“We know how good we are, we know how hard we do work,” he said. “We’re gonna take this sectional title, we’re gonna be very proud of it, we’re not gonna look down on it, we’re gonna keep moving and try our best next week.”
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