Gloucester was well represented Sunday at the Massachusetts Youth State Wrestling Championship. Six wrestlers earned the right to compete by placing in the top six in their respective weight classes at last week’s North/East sectional.
The U-12 division was led by second-place finishes from Micah McGrath and Matthew Vargus as well as a fourth-place outcome from Joy Castellucci. All three wrestlers will advance to the Youth New England Championships in a couple of weeks as a result of their top six placements. Michael Menyo also wrestled very well in a particularly tough bracket.
The U-15 division had two wrestlers competing and both made the medal podium.
Jackson Cody was crowned as a four-time youth state champion, demolishing the competition at sectionals and throughout the state tournament, until a very tough championship match. In the finals, Cody overcame some adversity to win in quadruple overtime. By the end of the contest, all the spectators in the field house had gathered around the mat to witness the thrilling outcome. Cody was able to execute a reversal with only seven seconds left in the match to secure the 4-2 victory.
Jayden Chadwick battled extremely tough competition to place fifth. Chadwick lost his first match to one of the top seeded wrestlers, but fought his way through the consolation bracket to qualify for the Youth New England Championships.
Gloucester’s Max Thomas also qualified for the state tournament as a result of his first-place finish at North/East sectionals but was unable to compete. However, he will join Chadwick and Cody as well as McGrath, Vargus, and Castellucci at the Youth New England Championships in a couple of weeks in Fitchburg.