Abduli Gilmore made Mahar Regional School history last weekend.
After taking first in the 113-pound weight class at the Central Massachusetts Division 3 Tournament, the sophomore earned a spot in the MIAA Division 3 Wrestling Championships at Wakefield High School. Gilmore opened the tournament on Friday with a pair of wins, putting himself into Saturday’s semifinal round.
He opened the day on Saturday taking on top-seeded Colin Kinne of Monument Mountain, but it wasn’t a problem for Gilmore, as he walked away with an 8-2 decision win to advance to the finals. In the title match, he defeated Melrose’s Michael Thomas by a 4-1 decision to take home the first Division 3 individual state championship in Mahar program history.
“I had to step my game up,” Gilmore said. “I was going there to win and become the first person in my school to win states. I put my best effort in and gave it my all. The kid before the finals was saying he was tired and that his shoulder and knee hurt. I don’t think he liked the pressure put on him. I kept going and kept grinding and did my best. He was very quick but I was fresher. I was so pumped to win.”
Gilmore had every reason to feel confident going into state tournament. After all, he hasn’t lost a match since Jan. 7, and went unbeaten the previous weekend at sectionals.
After he won his opening two matches on Friday, he had all the confidence in the world that he was going to walk away as the champion, even as the No. 3 seed at 113.
“After winning my first two matches on Friday I told myself that I can do this,” Gilmore said. “Watching all the other wrestlers I knew I could do it and beat them. I knew I could win matches against them.
“When I got there on Saturday I was aggressive and made the best of it,” he continued. “The semifinal match the kid thought he was going to put me away early. My brother told me to show them who I am and that it’s not going to be easy to take me down or beat me. I think I did that and showed you can’t just get on the mat and say you’re going to beat me.”
Gilmore started wrestling when he was in seventh grade. It was his older brothers, Ben and Henry Gilmore, that got him into the sport. Both went through the Mahar wrestling program ahead of Abduli.
It was Ben Gilmore who really pushed him into the sport. Abduli was more interested in basketball when he and his family moved to the area from Burundi when he was nine years old, but it was Ben Gilmore who thought his younger brother would fit right in on the mat.
“Ben talked to me when I was in fifth grade and said I should do this sport and that I will like it,” Gilmore said. “He knew I liked fighting and brought wrestling up. I also liked basketball since I came to the U.S. I tried to do offseason wrestling, liked it and once I was in seventh grade decided to wrestle for the school. I’ve continued from there.”
His brothers have remained involved in Abduli Gilmore’s wrestling career, giving him pointers while also attending tournaments and scouting the future competition he will face.
“They tell me what I need to know and what I need to do,” Gilmore said. “I’m very good at listening so I listen to them carefully and I go on the mat and do it.”
On Friday, Gilmore will have another chance to prove himself against the state’s best, competing in the MIAA All-State Tournament at Reading High School. He enters the two-day tourney as the No. 3 seed in the 17-wrestler field at 113, where he’ll look to take home a third title in as many weeks.
To do that, he will try to keep the same positive attitude he’s had all season.
“I’m going to keep doing what I’ve been doing,” Gilmore said. “I’ll have the same positive mindset where I’m always thinking I’ll win the match going in. I don’t care who I’m going against, I know I’ve put in a ton of hard work and it’s paid off. I’ll put my best foot forward and do my best as soon as I step on the mat.”
Two other Recorder area wrestlers qualified to join Gilmore in Reading on Friday. After taking fourth at 220 pounds at the Div. 3 state meet, Mohawk Trail’s Will VanVleet enters as the No. 11 seed. At 160, Athol’s Aiden Kirwan is the No. 16 seed after placing sixth last weekend.
First round matches for the All-State tourney begin at 11 a.m. Day 2 action on Saturday begins at 10:30 a.m.
A pack of local wrestlers will also compete in the MIAA All-State Girls Wrestling Championships this weekend, also held in Reading.
Mahar’s Raedyn Bennett will represent the Senators in the 160-pound bracket, as the eighth-grader, who is 1-2 on the year, is placed in a 10-wrestler field.
Frontier’s Jocelyn Antes is the No. 7 seed in a loaded 31-wrestler 118-pound bracket. The freshman is 11-13 on the season.
Franklin Tech will be represented by Jacqueline Churchill (215, 2-9 record), Mia Marigliano (136, 1-6) and Anaray Yang (127, 2-6).