Grappling with Success

Bedford High School sent an early-season statement to the rest of the Division II Saturday when it traveled north and finished third of 16 teams in the Bow Holiday Wrestling Tournament.

The lone squads to best Bedford were perennial power Londonderry and another Division I frontrunner, Manchester Central.

Sophomore Matt Houston earned the tourney championship among 195 pounders, and junior Robery Lamy finished on top of the heavyweight division.

Juniors Colin Perras and Josh Belz and senior Robert Bernard each placed runner-up in 120-, 132- and 182-pound weight classes, respectively.

The early success comes as no surprise to second-year BHS head coach Robert Benincasa, who last year led the Bulldogs to a 15-3 record and fourth-place showing at the Meet of Champions against the top competition from all three New Hampshire divisions.

"We were led by a strong senior class, but have refilled those spots with an experienced junior class," said Benincasa, who has mentored Granite State high school grapplers for 16 years, the last 10 as a varsity head coach.

"The expectations for the season are high," he continued. "We have a lot of experience with the junior class who can lead us far into the state tournaments ... We feel we have enough experience and the ability to finish the season strong."

The goal, said Benincasa, is a top-two D-II finish.

"Our identity is to be the toughest wrestlers who fight the hardest for that six-minute match," said Benincasa. "When the match is over our opponents will know that the Bedford wrestlers give the toughest fights and never quit."

Perras, who took second in states last year, and Belz, who placed third, captain this year's squad.

Benincasa said he expects Bernard, who earned third at the Meet of Champions and qualified for New Englands last winter, to play an integral role for the Bulldogs, as should Bedford's other senior, 152-pounder Sam Killmorgan.

This year's lethal junior class is filled out by 126-pounder Ben Gilman, 145-pounder Chris Conery and Lamy, all of whom garnered top-six finishes at the 2012 D-II tourney.

Filling out the varsity lineup are sophomores Houston, Jake Valeri at 113 pounds and Ryan Belz at 160; and freshmen Jake Hall at 106, Justin Mello at 138, Ben Miller at 152 and Bobby Heald at 220.

Sophomores Ben Dow, Pat Ell and Cam Lavoie also wrestle for Bedford this season, as do freshmen Derek Brecht, Trevor Greene and Wesley Pelletier.

"This should be an exciting season" said Benincasa,"and we have a great wrestling team that is set to get on a roll and and prepare for a 2013 campaign that can hopefully bring a D-II wrestling championship to our school."

The Bulldogs next travel to Merrimack Wednesday night for a dual meet against the Tomahawks.