After press time: Melrose falls in Brawl in the Hall, to Wakefield 45-27 (Jan. 31)
Published February 2, 2024
On eve of Brawl in the Hall, they like their chances
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—The more things change the more they stay the same. At least that’s the case in the Middlesex League wrestling world, where once again, league title rights boil down to two league-unbeaten teams who battle each February in an annual clash that draws standing room crowds and has decided the league championship six years straight.
That’s right. Melrose and Wakefield will once again battle for ML Freedom League title at the sixth annual Brawl in the Hall that was scheduled at press time, for this past Wednesday, Jan. 31 as a regular season finale and hosted at Memorial Hall.
Melrose leads the series, 4-2 (check our edition next week and social media pages for breaking news from the event)
But in the meantime, here is how Melrose has managed to remain flawless in the ML at 7-0 and a very strong 17-6 over against the toughest competition in the state.
On Wednesday, Jan. 24, Melrose kept their unbeaten winning streak in the Middlesex League going with a 56-18 victory over Watertown on Senior Night, where they honored outgoing seniors Nico Chiulli, Gabe Laverde, Pedro Ribeiro, Jake Guzman and Luke Spencer.
The victory improves Melrose to 7-0 in Middlesex League dual meets, which leaves Wakefield and later Woburn on Feb. 7 as the teams to top to finish flawless.
Against the Watertown Raiders, Melrose enjoyed pins from senior Gabe LaVerde, Jack Shea, Mike Thomas, Johnny Moraes, Luke Brodeur, Marco Albanese and Scott Santos. Melrose also got a tech fall from junior Quinn Fogarty and a decision by Alejandro Lopez.
Additionally, last weekend Melrose took part in the Methuen Invitational against juggernaut teams in New England, including Mt Anthony (VT), Xavier (CT), Salem (NH), Tewksbury and host Methuen. Melrose finished well thanks to the efforts of Gabe LaVerde (4 wins, 3rd place); Scott Santos (3 wins, 4th place) Johnny Moraes (3 wins, 4th place) Michael Thomas (3 wins, 5th place) and Jack Shea (3 wins, 6th place) Melrose also got victories from sophomore Luke Brodeur (2 wins), senior Pedro Ribeiro, junior Quinn Fogarty (3 wins), and freshmen Owen Savage and Will Lusas.
There is a lot of season left, with their last home dual meet scheduled for Feb. 7 at home against Woburn at 6:00 p.m., plus sectionals and states scheduled for February. And in the meantime, if you’ve missed the exciting Brawl in the Hall you can catch it here: http://tinyurl.com/MelroseLive