by Ryan Mosher
The Berlin wrestling team kicked off their season with a trip over to Mount Greylock High School for the Mt. Greylock Early Duals tournament. The tournament, which included teams from Massachusetts, New York and Vermont, pitted the Mountaineers and the host team in the first match. Berlin started strong, taking a 9-0 lead after Charlie Weatherwax pinned his opponent in the first period and RJ Hebert won a 10-0 decision in the first two matches. Mt. Greylock was able to take the lead back 18-9, with two quick pins and a forfeit. Berlin’s Max Fischer recorded a pin in the second period of his 152 pound match to bring the Mountaineers within three points at 18-15. That was as close as Berlin would get, as the Mt. Greylock team took home points in five of the next six matches. Jordan Rathbun recorded a second period pin as well, and the final score was Mt. Greylock 42, Berlin 21.
In the next round Berlin took on a very strong Middlebury, VT, team. Middlebury took advantage of four forfeits during the match, collecting 24 unanswered points for those and taking the 48-12 victory. While the opposition claimed a large margin of victory over the Mountaineers, it was not for a lack of Mountaineer effort. Four of the six victories for Middlebury were decisions rather than pins. Kelsey Longhi was the only Berlin wrestler to take a win in the match, pinning his opponent in the first period.
In their final match of the day, the Mountaineers took on another tough Vermont team in Rutland High School. The Mountaineers fell behind early, 36-6 before Max Fischer stopped Rutland in their tracks. Fischer recorded a pin in just :47 seconds to help motivate Berlin. Rutland was able to take two more matches by forfeit but that was all. Kelsey Longhi, Jordan Rathbun and Tim Chaudoin all recorded pins to help the Mountaineers close the gap. The final score was Rutland 48, Berlin 30.
Despite the losses this past weekend, the Mountaineers had the opportunity to face some tough opponents at this tournament, including some they may get a second chance at when they participate in the Mounties’ other tournament in January.