Panther Wrestlers Set for State Final Tonight

Every team starts the year talking about reaching the state finals, but only two get the chance. Thanks to countless hours of preparation, the Holliston wrestling team is one of those teams.

Holliston (19-2) will meet Triton in the Division 3 Central championship bout at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night at WPI.

“For us it’s something that we’ve talked about for the year,” said Holliston wrestling coach Paul Capobianco. “It’s something that we had thought that we were capable of. I think that we’re comfortable in the fact that we feel we should be here.”

The Panthers earned a spot in the Div. 3 state final with last Thursday. With his team holding a nine-point edge, Holliston’s Willie Oxholm (215 lb.) pinned Taconic’s Zack Adams, sealing the victory for the Panthers.

In order for Holliston to emerge the victor on Wednesday night, Capobianco believes that his team needs to focus on what they do best.

“I think we stay true to what we’ve done all year,” said Capobianco. “We’re an offensive team, we attack, we work towards a pin, (and) generally we don’t stall. We’re always working for a fall, and I think that bodes well for us. It’s one of the very few reasons that we beat Wayland in the sectionals because we worked for falls and got more falls than they did, even though they won more matches than us.”

It might be easy to attribute some of the Panthers' success to luck, but don’t be fooled, luck had little to do with it.

“We worked hard,” said Capobianco. “We did spring workouts last year, we went to camp as a team, and we worked hard in the fall in the weight room. I think it’s where we feel where our work ethic has brought us. We’re confident that we can be successful if we wrestle well.”

The Panthers were in the mix to reached the state final last season, but a loss to Norton in the semifinals silenced those dreams temporarily. Holliston avenged that loss this season, on Jan. 5.

“We were a step away last year,” said Capobianco, whose team finished 17-4 last season. “I think that we were peaking at the right time and lost a very close match to Norton in the sectional semifinals. I do not think that we could have beat Wayland last year, and I do think that they were the best team in Division 3 last year.”

As expected, the Panthers have been forced to deal with illnesses and injuries all season long. That’s all part of the sport, according to Capobianco, and it’s been tough getting his wrestlers back on the mend.

“I think that we’re as good as we’re going to be,” Capobianco said. “At this point, all the teams are banged up and a little weary. It’s a long season. I think everybody’s in the same boat.”

Capobianco, who has also coached at Ashland High, is very confident in his team’s ability to beat Triton, claiming that this group of wrestlers ranks among the best he’s ever coached.

“(This group) is certainly the most talented and the most accomplished,” Capobianco said. “I’ve never taken a team to the state finals, I’ve never won a sectional title with a team. I’ve had some very good teams at Ashland and had some very good teams in Holliston when I coached prior (to this stint). Obviously this is a very talented group of seniors and juniors.”

When Capobianco leads his team onto the mats at WPI on Wednesday night, he knows that he can throw all the records out the door. His team’s entire season will be defined by this one night.

Gethin Coolbaugh is a sports correspondent for Holliston Patch. He can be reached at 774-279-1995 or at gethin.coolbaugh@yahoo.com. Follow him @GethinCoolbaugh on Twitter.