Saugus/Peabody wrestling captures NEC dual and NEC/CAL championships

By Dom Nicastro

The Saugus/Peabody wrestling team has cemented its place in program history, securing the Northeastern Conference (NEC) dual meet championship and the NEC/Cape Ann League (NEC/CAL) tournament championship. First-time feats. Yes, it was a good past week for the team.

The team’s 46-29 victory over Beverly in the final dual meet not only avenged years of close finishes but also completed an undefeated run in the conference. “We went into Beverly thinking we’re going to really have a tough, tough meet, and it was going to come down on the last match,” said Saugus/Peabody coach Wayne Moda. “But they got the flu bug on their team and forfeited a bunch of weights, and we came away with a 46-29 victory. That win secured our NEC dual championship, and we moved on to the NEC/CAL championship on Saturday, which we also won.”

Beverly also entered the dual meet undefeated in conference play, setting up a true winner-take-all showdown for the NEC title. The Panthers had been the dominant force in the conference for years, but this time, Saugus-Peabody took full advantage of the opportunity. “They limped along, made it to the meet, but they got the flu bug, which is what it is,” Moda said. “But like I said, you have to show up. You have to show up to win. So we did, and we won.”

Even beyond the forfeits, Saugus-Peabody wrestlers delivered key victories on the mat, with standout performances, including:

• 126 pounds: Jackson Deleidi (Peabody) defeated Dariush Afsharian (Beverly) by major decision, 13-3.
• 138 pounds: Lukas Fondulis (Saugus) pinned Roger Lopes (Beverly) at 3:44.
• 285 pounds (heavyweight): Antonio Anzalone (Peabody) pinned Joao Reis (Beverly) at 5:53.

“Evan Johnson [of Peabody] lost a tight one against [Tyler] Pinto from Beverly,” Moda added. “He really should have won that match. He was ahead the whole time and then lost at the very end. If Beverly had their full lineup, it probably would have come down to the heavyweight match. Antonio came through at the end and pinned. We didn’t need the win, but he did pin at the end.”

Riding high off their dual meet triumph, Saugus/Peabody turned its attention to the NEC/CAL championship tournament and once again delivered a statement performance. “We had a great first round,” Moda said. “We want to go into those tournaments and pin – extra points when you pin your opponent in a tournament. So the guys certainly did that. I think we earned probably 40 pin points in the tournament, and we outscored the next team by about 40 points.”

Saugus/Peabody finished with over 200 points, well ahead of the second-place team. Saugus/Peabody produced two individual champions at the tournament, with several others advancing deep into their brackets:

• 144 pounds: Max LoRusso (Saugus) pinned Karsyn Otero (Pentucket) in 0:48 to win the title.
• 285 pounds: Antonio Anzalone (Peabody) won his bracket to become an NEC/CAL champion.

At 120 pounds, Deleidi lost a 6-5 heartbreaker in the final against Brayden Pouliot (Beverly). At 157 pounds, Justin Bremberg of Saugus battled Mason Hinshaw (Marblehead/Swampscott) but fell 9-7 in the championship match.

Moda highlighted the importance of depth in tournament success and credited his wrestlers for dominating. “We put four into the finals and had two champions, but we had seven guys get into the semifinals,” Moda said. “Out of those seven guys, six finished third. That’s really what racked up our points and got us to win the tournament.”

Captain Max LoRusso continues to rack up milestones, closing in on the Saugus all-time wins record. “Max is racking up the wins. I think he’ll probably end the season with 50 wins, which will get him close to 130 career wins, which beats the all-time record,” Moda said.

With the conference titles secured, Saugus-Peabody now sets its sights on the Division 1 North sectional tournament – one of the most competitive in the state. It kicks off the weekend of Feb. 14. “Division 1 North is arguably the best section in the state, in any division by far,” Moda said. “If you make it out of D1 North, you’re definitely heading to All-States or New Englands. If you don’t get out of the section, you’re going home.”

The team is preparing to battle powerhouses like Shawsheen Tech, St. John’s Prep, Haverhill and Andover. “We’ve been having a lot of success wrestling our conference, but D1 North is another level,” Moda said. “We’ve done well, but when we go into that tournament, they’re going to be really tested.”

Even with two championships in the books, Moda is not letting his team dwell on past accomplishments. “We’ve done something that no other Saugus and Peabody team has done,” Moda said. “But in the grand scheme of things, we want to be a better team to compete in D1 sectionals, place kids at State and All-State, and make New Englands. We did it, we celebrated, and now we’re moving on.”