WAKEFIELD — Chris Waslaske accomplished two things for the Athol High School wrestling team at the Division 3 State Wrestling Tournament on Saturday.
After beating Taconic’s Dylan Burke by a 3-2 decision in the 182-pound championship, the senior became the second-ever state champion in school history for the wrestling program.
“It is a blessing,” Waslaske said. “To be able to make it to the top. It’s a great accomplishment.”
That was just one of the accomplishments for Waslaske as he became the school’s all-time leader in wins as well with his win over Burke with 149.
“He really tries to perfect his craft,” Athol coach Brandon Jeffrey said. “A lot of these matches come down to heart. All these kids can wrestle. He has incredible focus. He can go six and or seven minutes and not lose sight of things.”
Waslaske beat Burke for the third time in four matches this season. The victory was a deliberate one for Waslaske.
“I am not the most exciting wrestler,” Waslaske said. “I know that for a fact. The main thing is knowing how to control a match. You need to just make points. We are really familiar with each other.”
One big take down made the difference for Waslaske.
Waslaske is seeking the first ever All-State championship in Athol school history on Friday, according to Jeffrey.
“I will approach it the same way,” Waslaske said. “Match by match. Round by round. Can’t get ahead of yourself.”
Waslaske started off the tournament Friday afternoon with a pin of David Gil of Pentucket in 55 seconds. He followed with another pin of James Buddluph of Smith Vocational in 1:23 to keep him alive in the championship bracket heading into Day 2 on Saturday.
In the semifinals, Waslaske beat Mike Yirrell of Wakefield by a 7-3 decision before edging Burke in the finals.
Frontier Regional School’s Nate Austin also had a nice weekend at 195 pounds as he took third for the Red Hawks. Austin pinned Derek Roldan of Duggan Academy in 1 minute 40 seconds in the third-place match.
“Yesterday I wasn’t wrestling my best,” Austin said. “Today, I showed up ready to wrestle.”
Jonathan Mahony wrestled for fifth place at 113-pounds for Mahar.
Mahony had the upper-hand on Fabian Heaslip throughout the match, dictating the action with a 11-3 lead. But a sudden headlock by Heaslip sent Mahony to his back.
After a brief struggle Heaslip got the pin on Mahony at 4 minutes, 44 seconds.
Mahar’s Peter Tattan also had a chance for a fifth-place finish at 170 pounds as he took on Ian Griffiths of Bedford High School. Tattan dominated Griffiths, winning a major decision 9-0 to secure fifth-place for the Senators.
Those four wrestlers will represent the area at this weekend’s All-State meet at St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers.
Ito McMillan placed eighth at 152-pounds for Frontier. Brody Wood also got an eighth place finish for Franklin County Technical School in the 170-pound bracket.
The day was also special for Franklin Tech assistant coach Mike Aiken, who was named the Massachusetts Wrestling Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year.
Aiken returned to his alma mater in 2013 as a volunteer assistant coach. During his career at Franklin Tech, Aiken was a three-time WMass champion, a State Division 3 placer, and the school’s first-ever State Vocational champion. He went on to wrestle at Springfield Technical Community College before transferring to Bridgewater State College where he majored in Criminal Justice. He is currently a paid assistant coach for the football and wrestling teams, and leads the Franklin County Five Wrestling Club during the offseason, which helps wreslers from Franklin Tech, Mohawk, Frontier, Mahar, Athol and Monty Tech. He has helped the team to three straight league titles.
