By his own admission, it’s never been easy for Haverhill High’s Cale Wood on the wrestling mat.
Sure, the statistics are enviable — most recently notching his 100th career victory, and a fifth-place finish at the esteemed George Bossi Lowell Holiday Tournament.
But, from his earliest days in the sport, it has been tenacity and toughness — over talent — that has truly driven Wood.
“Right off the bat, what I loved about wrestling was what I lacked in natural ability I could make up for with hard work,” said Wood. “Winning never has come easy for me, but this sport is a marathon, not a sprint. You have to be able to fight and stick it out to have success.”
That mentality and more have helped build the 120-pound Wood into one of the region’s premier wrestlers, now in his third year as a varsity stalwart for the Hillies.
Already this winter, he has — in addition to hitting the century mark in wins — helped lead Haverhill to the team title at the 45-school Noble Invitational with his third-place finish, helped the Hillies take second as a team at Lowell Holidays with his fifth-place finish, and finished 4-0 in a “super quad” in Beverly to kick off the new year.
“There’s been a lot of really good competition and I’ve just been going in there and trying to outwork my opponents,” he said. “It’s very rewarding to see the results we’ve had so far. It feels like our hard work is starting to pay off.”
Just a junior, Wood was selected a wrestling captain for the second straight season this winter. and Haverhill coach Tim Lawlor says there’s a good reason for that.
“Cale brings a new level of intelligence to the team,” said Lawlor. “ He brings order, organization, and flat-out hard work. He’ll mop the mat before a match then pin his kid in the first period. He is a true Hillie, a coach’s dream and an ultimate teammate. He shows us that it’s all possible.”
Wood’s passion for wrestling bloomed in elementary school, thanks to the help of a few future Haverhill teammates.
“I started wrestling when I was in second grade,” he said. “Former Hillie captain and my friend Ben Davoli (Haverhill High class of 2023, three-time Eagle-Tribune All-Star) first introduced me to the sport.
“One of the big reasons why I stuck with wrestling was the influence of my Haverhill Youth wrestling coach, Matt Morris. He believed in me and saw something in me that others didn’t. Growing up having the Morris boys, including my classmate and fellow captain Michael Morrris, as training partners has been very helpful, always being there for me during the highs and lows.”
As a freshman, Wood placed sixth at All-States and third at Division 1 states, wrestling at 106 pounds. Last season as a sophomore, Wood moved up to 120 pounds and placed sixth at Division 1s and eighth at Lowell Holidays.
And he’s been at his best this winter, including the 120-pound title at the Wilmington Sons of Italy Tournament, a huge pin in a comeback win over Chelmsford and another 4-0 day in a quad held in early December.
“Over the past three years I’ve grown a lot as a wrestler,” he said. “I’ve been mainly focusing on building off of my existing skill set to help add more tools to my tool box. One of the keys to my success has been continuous training and surrounding myself around great partners and coaches. Learning from some tough losses last season and fighting through kidney stones, motivated me to work harder than I ever have to be ready for the season. I also owe a lot of success to my family.
“My goal for this season is to continue to grow as a wrestler, pushing myself and my teammates to be as successful as possible. I plan on advancing far into the postseason.”
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