Oct 311 min read

MetroWest and EVERY New England Wrestler at Elite 8

Starting in 2022 and held at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park, Georgia, the Elite 8 Duals have been a staple in the high school wrestling community. This top-notch invite-only event is a dual meet tournament that features 12 of the best clubs and super teams in the country and is known as the most challenging high school wrestling event anywhere. Usually, a few New England wrestlers are invited to attend ; last year there were four. This year, however, it wasn’t just a few wrestlers but an entire team as well that were invited.

MetroWest United, based in Natick, Massachusetts, got the invite after some impressive showings during the past two years at some national competitions. The Schwartz Report caught up with MetroWest (MWU) coach Nick Avery to get his take on what it was like to participate in this exclusive event.

As you might expect, Avery was ecstatic to be included.

“[It was] amazing,” Avery enthused. “Couldn’t be happier that these kids got the opportunity to perform on the highest stage in front of the eyes of the top college programs in the nation. The atmosphere was electric, the competition was on another level, and it was pretty historic all around.”

MWU’s lineup featured some hammers homegrown in their own club, some stud’s from Ponaganset High School’s nationally ranked team, and talented wrestlers from other states as well.

July 7th P4P rankings used, May 24th Class Rankings used.

MWU LINEUP:

100: Kaiden Belinsky (Wasipee Valley, IA)

2024 Fargo 7th Place (100lbs 16u)

106: Cole Lemovitz (Ponaganset, RI)

No. 42 P4P in NE | No. 4 Public Class ‘27

113: Oumar Tounkara (New York Military Academy, NY)

No. 11 P4P in NE | No. 4 Prep Class ‘25

113: Cooper Merli (Newburgh Free Academy, NY)

2024 New York State Champion

120: Jared Hood (Ponaganset, RI)

No. 21 P4P in NE | No. 5 Public Class ‘25

126: Dylan Kadish (Northfield Mt. Hermon, MA)

No. 15 Prep Class ‘25

132: Charlie Lussier (St. Paul’s, NH)

No. 50 P4P in NE | No. 13 Prep Class ‘25

132: George McAteer (Xaverian, MA)

No. 2 @132 (Public School)

138: Brent Von-Magnus (Bridgewater-Raynham, MA)

No. 21 Public Class ‘25 | No. 4 @128 (Public School)

144: Dom Wilson (Rockwall High School, TX)

2024 Fargo Champion (144lbs 16u)

150: Hunter Sturgill (Baylor School, TN)

2024 Tennessee State Champion

157: Michael Boulanger (Milford, MA)

No. 39 P4P in NE | No. 7 Public Class ‘25

157: Declan Bligh (Roxbury Latin, MA)

No. 9 Prep Class ‘26

165: Elliot Humphries (Northfield Mt. Hermon, MA)

No. 28 P4P in NE | No. 7 Prep Class ‘25

175: Lucas Alvan (Ludlow, MA)

No. 47 P4P in NE | No. 14 Public Class ‘25

190: Preston Marchessault (Ponaganset, RI)

No. 13 P4P in NE | No. 3 Public Class ‘25

215: Matthew Harrold (Haverhill, MA)

No. 31 P4P in NE | No. 6 Public Class ‘26

285: Michael DiOrio (Ponaganset, RI)

No. 2 @ 215 (Public School)

Other New Englanders That Wrestled in the Event

126: Jackson Heslin (Greens Farms Academy, CT) (Team Thunder)

No. 6 P4P in NE | No. 2 Prep Class ‘26

144: Joe Joyce (Ponaganset, RI) (Team Carnage)

No. 10 P4P in NE | No. 2 Public Class ‘26

144: David Perez (Ponaganset, RI) (Team Carnage)

No. 4 P4P in NE | No. 1 Public Class ‘26

165: Ben Smith (New York Military Academy, NY) (Stellar Trained)

No. 5 P4P in NE | No. 2 Prep Class ‘25

Elite 8 is one of the few events that gets all the super teams from around the country (Dynasty, Carnage, NJ Commision, etc.). So knowing this, Avery understood that winning the event where every team has 8-10 nationally ranked wrestlers would be a longshot. But if a New England wrestler could upset a nationally ranked opponent? That would make the whole trip worth it.

A New England Battle: Dylan Kadish (Left) NMH vs. Jackson Heslin (Right) GFA. Photo Courtesy Michael Boulanger Sr.

“I knew we were going to be the biggest underdogs in the tournament, but we wanted to battle with the best and show them that small states like MA and RI can scrap with the best of them, Avery said.

“We figured we would wrestle 2-3 ranked, 2 or so HM’s (Honorable Mentions), and 1-2 UR (Unranked). Nope! Every single kid we faced was ranked—and highly ranked.Several of our wrestlers competed against Top 10 nationally ranked wrestlers three times in the course of 2 days!”

The team was very much a small fish in a big pond. Something like this can be sure to affect an athlete’s and coach’s mindset about the big event. But in this case, it wasn’t just about winning, it was about wrestling that tough match to the best of your ability and getting the coach of the college of your dreams to notice you.

“Wrestle for you, and the region will be proud if you battle with everything you have.”

That’s what Avery told his team, stressing that being there was an opportunity for each wrestler.

“I often think about how I can bestcraft this experience for each individual and what is the most optimal path for them to gain success.”

Avery’s goal is to connect his wrestlers with college programs they want to attend and that influences every decision he makes. I want to connect them with programs they want to attend.

And when it comes to memorable moments or matches from the event, Avery recounted too many to list..

“The truth of the matter is there was several key moments and pivotal growth moments for every single athlete that attended.”

“My most proud moment was how everyone fought on day 2 and handled themselves.While some teams packed up and went home on day 2, MWU came into it with more energy and a chip on their shoulder. Rebounding as an athlete is one of the most important qualities and they showed that growth, especially winning the last dual meet by a significant margin to close out the weekend.”

Ponaganset (RI) wrestlers L-R: Jared Hood, Joe Joyce, David Perez, Michael DiOrio, Preston Marchessault, Cole Lemovitz

Specifically there were great performances from Hunter Sturgill, Elliott Humphries, Cooper Merli, Michael Diorio and Matt Harrold—all of whom secured 3 or more wins.

MWU showed that they know how to weather the storm and stay in the fight whether they were facing a nationally ranked opponent or someone to whom they lost before.

The key, according to Avery, is never allowing a less-than-favorable dual meet score to dampen the mood when anticipating the next match.

“Focus on the now, and reflect on all the notes and scoring situations from the previous match tomorrow. You have to give your next opponent everything you’ve got. We can only look forward, and what is ahead is another opportunity to change your life.”

COMPLETE NEW ENGLAND ELITE 8 RESULTS

From: trackwrestling.com

Kaiden Belinksy of Metro West went 1-6

100 - Chase Karenbauer (Team Thunder) over Kaiden Belinsky (Metro West) TF 16-0
100 - Carter Smith (Team Carnage) over Kaiden Belinsky (Metro West) Dec 4-2
100 - Ace Chittum (Minion Legends) over Kaiden Belinsky (Metro West) Maj 17-5
100 - Cruzer Dominguez (Dynasty) over Kaiden Belinsky (Metro West) TF 19-3
100 - Traevon Ducking (Beast of the East) over Kaiden Belinsky (Metro West) Maj 15-2
100 - Corey Brown (Black Mambas) over Kaiden Belinsky (Metro West) Fall 1:33
100 - Kaiden Belinsky (Metro West) over Jameson Thomas (Stronghold) Fall 3:30

Cole Lemovitz of Metro West went 2-5

106 - Brayden Wenrich (Team Thunder) over Cole Lemovitz (Metro West) TF 17-1
106 - Cole Lemovitz (Metro West) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
106 - Gabe Swann (Minion Legends) over Cole Lemovitz (Metro West) TF 21-5
106 - Caleb Noble (Dynasty) over Cole Lemovitz (Metro West) Fall 0:57
106 - Brandon Bickerton (Beast of the East) over Cole Lemovitz (Metro West) Fall 1:04
106 - Cason Craft (Black Mambas) over Cole Lemovitz (Metro West) Dec 9-8
106 - Cole Lemovitz (Metro West) over Braylen Johnson (Stronghold) Fall 1:09

Oumar Tounkara of Metro West went 0-3

113 - Alex Rozas (Team Thunder) over Oumar Tounkara (Metro West) Maj 20-7
113 - Roman Luttrell (Team Carnage) over Oumar Tounkara (Metro West) Dec 10-8
113 - Abdi Unle (Dynasty) over Oumar Tounkara (Metro West) Fall 1:48

Cooper Merli of Metro West went 3-1

113 - Bradley Patterson (Minion Legends) over Cooper Merli (Metro West) Dec 9-7
113 - Cooper Merli (Metro West) over Kole Davidheiser (Beast of the East) Dec 8-4
113 - Cooper Merli (Metro West) over Dom Morrison (Black Mambas) Dec 6-5
113 - Cooper Merli (Metro West) over Will Attickson (Stronghold) Maj 11-2

Jared Hood of Metro West went 2-5

120 - Matt O`Neill (Team Thunder) over Jared Hood (Metro West) Fall 3:22
120 - Isaiah Jones (Team Carnage) over Jared Hood (Metro West) Dec 5-4
120 - JoJo Uhorchuck (Minion Legends) over Jared Hood (Metro West) Dec 7-0
120 - Jared Hood (Metro West) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
120 - Landon Sidun (Beast of the East) over Jared Hood (Metro West) TF 17-1
120 - Kavin Muyleart (Black Mambas) over Jared Hood (Metro West) TF 15-0
120 - Jared Hood (Metro West) over Kyan Simons (Stronghold) Dec 7-1

Jackson Heslin of Team Thunder went 2-5

126 - Karson Brown (Beast of the East) over Jackson Heslin (Team Thunder) Dec 8-2
126 - Aaron Seidel (Steller Trained) over Jackson Heslin (Team Thunder) Maj 13-1
126 - Patrick O`Keefe (NJ Commission) over Jackson Heslin (Team Thunder) Dec 10-4
126 - Ethan Uhorchuck (Minion Legends) over Jackson Heslin (Team Thunder) Dec 8-1
126 - Jackson Heslin (Team Thunder) over Dylan Kadish (Metro West) TF 19-3
126 - Sebastian DeGennaro (POWA) over Jackson Heslin (Team Thunder) TF 16-0
126 - Jackson Heslin (Team Thunder) over Griffin Rial (Black Mambas) TF 17-2

Dylan Kadish of Metro West went 1-6

126 - Jackson Heslin (Team Thunder) over Dylan Kadish (Metro West) TF 19-3
126 - Antonio Rodriguez (Team Carnage) over Dylan Kadish (Metro West) Maj 14-6
126 - Ethan Uhorchuck (Minion Legends) over Dylan Kadish (Metro West) TF 18-0
126 - Slater Hicks (Dynasty) over Dylan Kadish (Metro West) Dec 4-2
126 - Karson Brown (Beast of the East) over Dylan Kadish (Metro West) TF 16-1
126 - Griffin Rial (Black Mambas) over Dylan Kadish (Metro West) SV-1 8-7
126 - Dylan Kadish (Metro West) over Cordell Latrell Lee (Stronghold) Dec 8-2

Charlie Lussier of Metro West went 1-3

132 - Anthony Mutarelli (Team Thunder) over Charlie Lussier (Metro West) TF 15-0
132 - Casen Roak (Minion Legends) over Charlie Lussier (Metro West) TF 20-4
132 - Christian Fretwell (Black Mambas) over Charlie Lussier (Metro West) Maj 20-7
132 - Charlie Lussier (Metro West) over Nick Sykes (Stronghold) Dec 1-0

George McAteer of Metro West went 0-3

132 - Jake Hocaday (Team Carnage) over George McAteer (Metro West) TF 18-3
132 - Seth Mendoza (Dynasty) over George McAteer (Metro West) TF 16-1
132 - Ryan DeGeorge (Beast of the East) over George McAteer (Metro West) TF 15-0

Brent Von Magnus of Metro West went 0-7

138 - Jesse Grajeda (Team Thunder) over Brent Von Magnus (Metro West) Maj 15-4
138 - Camden Baum (Team Carnage) over Brent Von Magnus (Metro West) Maj 10-1
138 - Will Anderson (Minion Legends) over Brent Von Magnus (Metro West) Maj 13-0
138 - Nate Askew (Dynasty) over Brent Von Magnus (Metro West) TF 19-3
138 - Caedyn Ricciardi (Beast of the East) over Brent Von Magnus (Metro West) TF 18-3
138 - Tyler Traves (Black Mambas) over Brent Von Magnus (Metro West) TF 15-0
138 - Yanik Simons (Stronghold) over Brent Von Magnus (Metro West) SV-1 4-2

David Perez of Team Carnage went 1-2

144 - David Perez (Team Carnage) over Colson Hoffman (Minion Legends) Dec 8-2
144 - Beau Hickman (Beast of the East) over David Perez (Team Carnage) Dec 4-3
144 - Dorian Olivarez (Dynasty) over David Perez (Team Carnage) Maj 11-1

Joseph Joyce of Team Carnage went 2-1

144 - Joseph Joyce (Team Carnage) over Blase Mele (Steller Trained) Maj 9-1
144 - Blase Mele (Steller Trained) over Joseph Joyce (Team Carnage) Dec 11-4
144 - Joseph Joyce (Team Carnage) over Dom Wilson (Metro West) Maj 11-1

Dom Wilson of Metro West went 2-5

144 - Dom Wilson (Metro West) over Connor Doherty (Team Thunder) Maj 9-0
144 - Joseph Joyce (Team Carnage) over Dom Wilson (Metro West) Maj 11-1
144 - Colson Hoffman (Minion Legends) over Dom Wilson (Metro West) Dec 10-5
144 - Dorian Olivarez (Dynasty) over Dom Wilson (Metro West) Maj 20-6
144 - Beau Hickman (Beast of the East) over Dom Wilson (Metro West) Dec 8-5
144 - Carlos Stanton (Black Mambas) over Dom Wilson (Metro West) Maj 12-2
144 - Dom Wilson (Metro West) over Bradley William (Stronghold) Dec 5-0

Hunter Sturgill of Metro West went 4-3

150 - Hunter Sturgill (Metro West) over Ryan Lawler (Team Thunder) Dec 7-3
150 - Blake Cosby (Team Carnage) over Hunter Sturgill (Metro West) Dec 4-1
150 - Michael Turi (Minion Legends) over Hunter Sturgill (Metro West) Dec 7-1
150 - Hunter Sturgill (Metro West) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
150 - Hunter Sturgill (Metro West) over Zach Ballante (Beast of the East) SV-1 2-1
150 - Chase Van Hoven (Black Mambas) over Hunter Sturgill (Metro West) TF 16-1
150 - Hunter Sturgill (Metro West) over Zachery Little (Stronghold) Dec 7-1

Michael Boulanger of Metro West went 1-6

157 - Max Stein (Team Thunder) over Michael Boulanger (Metro West) Maj 8-0
157 - Jacob Herm (Team Carnage) over Michael Boulanger (Metro West) TF 17-1
157 - Anthony Evanasky (Minion Legends) over Michael Boulanger (Metro West) Dec 10-3
157 - Michael Boulanger (Metro West) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
157 - Leo Contino (Beast of the East) over Michael Boulanger (Metro West) TF 16-1
157 - Junior Kross Cassidy (Black Mambas) over Michael Boulanger (Metro West) Dec 4-1
157 - Brayden Leech (Stronghold) over Michael Boulanger (Metro West) Maj 8-0

Ben Smith of Steller Trained went 4-3

165 - Ben Smith (Steller Trained) over Gage Wentzel (Team Carnage) Dec 7-6
165 - Alessio Perentin (Beast of the East) over Ben Smith (Steller Trained) Maj 11-1
165 - Dom Bambinelli (Roundtree) over Ben Smith (Steller Trained) Dec 6-1
165 - Asher Cunningham (POWA) over Ben Smith (Steller Trained) TF 19-1
165 - Ben Smith (Steller Trained) over Kalias Nazario (Minion Legends) Dec 5-3
165 - Ben Smith (Steller Trained) over Adrien Reyes (Team Thunder) Dec 2-1
165 - Ben Smith (Steller Trained) over Gage Wentzel (Team Carnage) Dec 4-2

Elliot Humphries of Metro West went 4-4

175 - Ty Eise (Dynasty) over Elliot Humphries (Metro West) Dec 8-1
165 - Adrien Reyes (Team Thunder) over Elliot Humphries (Metro West) SV-1 4-1
165 - Elliot Humphries (Metro West) over Gage Wentzel (Team Carnage) Maj 11-2
165 - Elliot Humphries (Metro West) over Kalias Nazario (Minion Legends) TF 17-2
165 - Elliot Humphries (Metro West) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
165 - Alessio Perentin (Beast of the East) over Elliot Humphries (Metro West) Maj 8-0
165 - Salah Tsarni (Black Mambas) over Elliot Humphries (Metro West) Fall 5:32
165 - Elliot Humphries (Metro West) over Cody Kirk (Stronghold) Maj 10-2

Lucas Alvan of Metro West went 1-6

190 - Carson Thomas (Dynasty) over Lucas Alvan (Metro West) TF 17-2
175 - Dylan Pile (Team Thunder) over Lucas Alvan (Metro West) TF 20-0
175 - Mason Ontiveros (Team Carnage) over Lucas Alvan (Metro West) TF 17-1
175 - Max Norman (Minion Legends) over Lucas Alvan (Metro West) Fall 0:56
175 - Bryce Burkett (Beast of the East) over Lucas Alvan (Metro West) Dec 5-0
175 - Ethan Secoy (Black Mambas) over Lucas Alvan (Metro West) Dec 5-3
175 - Lucas Alvan (Metro West) over Bo Davis (Stronghold) Dec 4-0

Preston Marchassualt of Metro West went 0-5

190 - Jaxon Penovich (Team Thunder) over Preston Marchassualt (Metro West) Maj 10-2
190 - Brokton Borelli (Team Carnage) over Preston Marchassualt (Metro West) Fall 2:44
190 - Ryder Wilder (Minion Legends) over Preston Marchassualt (Metro West) TF 18-3
190 - Tanner Hodgins (Beast of the East) over Preston Marchassualt (Metro West) Dec 7-3
190 - De`Alcapon Veazy (Black Mambas) over Preston Marchassualt (Metro West) Dec 4-0