Sports
Wilmington Hosting Sons of Italy HS Wrestling Tournament Saturday
The 18-team event is at Shriners Auditorium. The first matches are scheduled for 9 a.m., and the finals are expected to start at 5 p.m.
WILMINGTON, MA — For fans of high school wrestling, there is only one place to be on Saturday: Shriners Auditorium in Wilmington.
The venue, located at 99 Fordham Rd., will be home to the 34th annual Wilmington High School Sons of Italy Wrestling Tournament. The event will begin at 9 a.m., and the finals are tentatively scheduled for 5 p.m.
The meet will feature 18 teams, including the host Wildcats, Tewksbury, Shawsheen Tech, Central Catholic and North Andover.
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Joel McKenna, the former Wilmington High wrestling coach and former tournament director, told Patch the event is special for several reasons.
"The Shriners Auditorium is an amazing venue that has allowed even more of the best teams in Massachusetts to battle and compete against each other," McKenna said. "It's one of the toughest tournaments each and every year, annually hosting All-American, New England championship and state championship-level wrestlers."
Find out what's happening in Wilmingtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
McKenna said the auditorium is a perfect spot for the tournament because it's spacious, in a good location right off Interstate 93 and it has a history of hosting big events.
"The venue has an experienced and friendly, top-notch staff," McKenna said. "It's the best location I can think of to host an event like this. They have great experience hosting professional MMA fight nights on a regular basis."
The tournament is sponsored by the Wilmington Sons of Italy, a regular sponsor for events associated with Wilmington Public Schools and Wilmington High Athletics.
Like last year, the tournament will serve as a fundraiser for the Mark Donovan Scholarship Fund, which honors the former Shawsheen Tech coach who passed away in 2021.
Here is the entire field for the 34th annual Wilmington High School Sons of Italy Wrestling Tournament:
Wilmington
Shawsheen Tech
Tewksbury
Masconomet/Essex Tech
Gloucester
North Andover
Central Catholic
Whittier Tech
Natick
Brookline
Winchester
Durfee
Canton
Melrose
Saugus/Peabody
Dedham
Salem (MA)
Mt Mansfield (VT)
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