SALEM – For just the second time in school history, Barnstable High School has an All-State Champion.
Ranked the number-one heavyweight high school wrestler in the state for the better part of the entire season, Owen Murray maintained his undefeated status Saturday at Salem High
For the first time in Barnstable High School history now has an All-State Champion: senior co-captain Owen Murray.
Sean Walsh/Capecod.com Sports file photo
School and took home the Red Raiders’ second All-State Championship title, following in the footsteps of all-time most winning wrestler Will Henson, now at Springfield. To his credit, Murray has now won three straight Division 1 South Sectional titles, a state championship title last weekend and today, the All-State crown.
He is now heading next week for a possible New England Regional championship title.
Murray, a two-time Old Colony League football all-star and four-time OCL All-Star on the mats, went 4-0 and pinned three of his opponents to garner the All-State crown. He is 34-0 this season.
Barnstable High has crowned 13 Division 1 South Sectional Champions since the program’s inception in 2003-2004, and three state champions including Murray last weekend.
Murray has indeed joined rare company in capturing the school’s second All-State title.
Murray defeated Reading High School’s Matt Ferraro by a 2-0 score, pinning Ferraro in the championship preliminary round at 1:37.
He followed that with a win by decision, 8-1, over Nashoba Valley Regional High School’s Richie Stamos in the championship quarterfinals. He then pinned Phillip Fernandez of Dean Tech at 5:15 for a 7-0 score in the semifinals.
Murray’s coup de grace came in the championship finals when he took down Hopkinton High’s Josh Sokol via pin at 7:27 for an 8-3 score.
Sandwich High School’s 120-pound king Greg Zaw took a 3-0 record into the All-State Championship finals but fell by an 8-3 decision to Foxboro High’s Matt Kelley.
Zaw defeated Franklin High’s Mike Coppolla by a 4-3 decision, Burlington High’s Josh Lee by a 2-1 decision and Methuen’s Billy Wehring by a 4-2 decision before taking the loss.
Sandwich High’s Matt Landry came with a fifth place finish after a stellar 4-2 output.
Landry defeated Haverhill’s Reece Millington via the pin at 5:32, took a tough loss from Nashoba’s Ronan Ball by a 7-3 decision and then won two straight in the consolation quarterfinals and semifinals. Landry beat Shawsheen’s Josh Merrifield by pin (3:00) and Kevin McGee from Winchester High (pin, 3:25).
Catholic Memorial’s Pat Ferzoco defeated Landry in the consolation semifinals second round via an 11-5 decision. Landry was pitted against Haverhill’s Millington again in the Consolation 5th and 6th rounds, but Millington forfeited to the Sandwich High grappler.
Barnstable High’s Casey Connor (126) dropped a pair of bouts to Taconic High’s Nick Bailey and Lawrence High’s Victor Guzman, both by decision.
— Sean Walsh is the sports editor for www.capecod.com. His email is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @coachwalshccbm
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