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Bellingham Wrestling, the Message Remains the Same

Bellingham wrestling coach Tom Forbes will aim for his diverse group of competitors to strive to improve each time they’re on the mat.

By Christopher Tremblay, Staff Sports Writer
The Bellingham co-op wrestling team lost a handful of athletes from last year’s team to graduation, but Coach Tom Forbes had an influx of numbers come out for this season’s squad. In addition, Bellingham also will be having a lot of returning grapplers take to the mat, and as it has been in the past, the message from the coach is always the same.
 “My goals year to year usually doesn’t change. I tell them that I am not all that concerned with wins and losses,” he said. “The main goal is to get better each time you step onto the mat; learn and hone your skills. If you do this then you should be able to make it into the tournament, and once there, you just have to see what the road brings you.”
Leading the Blackhawks onto the mats this year will be tri-captains Zach Mantegani Dylan Costa and Ethan Silva. Costa, a youth wrestler in Milford, is a workaholic and the senior was fortunate to place in the Sectionals last year as an alternate to the State Tournament. Silva, another senior, is the favorite to wrestle in the 195 lb. weight class for Bellingham this winter. A football player, who steps onto the mat with no fear and according to his coach is an absolute beast.
Mantegani is the only junior captain and will wrestle at 126 lbs. this season. The junior comes from a wrestling family and both his older brother and father help out with the program. Forbes believes that he should be able to qualify for the States this year.
Freshman Tyler Campbell (106 lbs.) is a newcomer to the sport, but he has already shown that he is very much into the sport.
“Tyler loves to learn and is picking things up very quickly,” Forbes said. “He’s built like a fire hydrant and brings an aggressiveness and energy to the mat.”
Looking to find time in the 112 and 120 lb. weight class will be Joel Puri (112), a student of the sport that takes part in wrestling year-round. His talent got him to the States last year. Sophomore Josh Suaz is a first year wrestler with a background in martial arts and that should come to his aide on the mat while Dominic Quintino is another first year athlete to the program and although he has youth experience Forbes doesn’t know much about him as of yet.
Most likely seeing action at the 126-weight class will be Charlie Leighton. The freshman, who was pretty much born into the sport as his father wrestled in high school and college, is back for his second season with the Blackhawks.
Ryan Cochran, a sophomore wrestling at 132, will practice along side Mantegani and Leighton, and all three should push one another. Another sophomore, Hunter Knox is hoping to get onto the mat at 145 lbs. Last fall, he saw a lot of action with the junior varsity squad, and this year, he happened to injure his knee prior to the season. Forbes is hoping Knox will be back a few weeks into the season.
Tim Gauntlett will be participating in his fifth season with Bellingham, and after working hard and lifting during the off-season, the senior will be wrestling at 152 this winter and is a perfect example of the coach’s philosophy of improving.
“We’re bumping him up to 152 this year, and he’ll be able to handle himself at that weight class,” the Bellingham Coach said. “Each year, he has moved up a weight class, so it’s been hard for him to get a foothold on one class.”
Forbes has two athletes wrestling in the 160/170 range. Sophomore Corey Phillips and Jack Davidson. Davidson was a State qualifier last year as a first year participant in the program, while Phillips, who has the ability and the talent, is somewhat of a question mark for the Coach at this time. He is a hard worker and could be a big solid anchor in the Bellingham lineup.
At 182 lbs., senior Paul Grieco, junior Griffin Beauleur and freshman Michael Sharp will be battling it out to wrestle with the varsity squad. Grieco, the odds on favorite, was a State qualifier last year; Beauleur was with the JV the majority of the season and Sharp is green, but tough.
“I am expecting really big things from these three,” Forbes said. “We will have wrestle-offs prior to each match, and the best wrestler will be with the varsity team. You need to beat the best if you want to take part in the varsity matches.”
Looking to surpass the captain (Silva) at 195 will be sophomores Aiden Smith and Ella Costa. It’s a learning curve for Smith, while Costa has wrestled in the past and has the potential, but this is her first year on the team.
The most open weight class is 220, with three year participant Connor Prentice, Abeas Shaa, Alex Lavallee and Landon Coutinho all challenging for the opportunity to wrestle for the varsity squad. Rounding out the weight class will be heavyweight Landry Fitzgerald. The second-year wrestler is an animal, according to his coach and last year as a first year participant, he was a sectional winner and State qualifier.
As he mentioned earlier, Forbes is not focusing on winning as much as he is in improving.
“We will be climbing the mountain all year long, while the athletes develop character, discipline and toughness,” the Bellingham Coach said. “If they go out and wrestle their best when February comes around that will be ready for the Sectionals. If they can do that, then I’ve done my job.”
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