Dave Henrick couldn't help but choke back the tears Saturday night in Chelmsford at the Division 1 North wrestling sectionals.
Not only did Henrick, the Peabody High head coach, get the chance to place a medal around the neck of the Tanners' first sectional champ in program history, but that champ also happened to be his son.
D.J. Henrick won four matches — three by pin, including a first-period pin in the title match — to capture the 220-pound weight class and advance to this weekend's state meet in Weymouth.
Peabody's wrestling program is only in its third year of existence.
"D.J. stepped on the mat (for the final), and you could see he was focused. He went out there and took advantage of the situation. He took down his opponent, got him in a clench and pinned him. It was over in hurry," Dave Henrick said. "He was pretty excited and gave me a big hug.
"It was a great moment as a coach and as a father. I had to fight back some tears a little."
Henrick, who captured the Northeastern Conference/Cape Ann League title last week, came into the sectional having lost just one match all season and was the No. 2 seed.
"That gave him a little confidence, but in our league, a lot of the teams are Division 2. So when you move up to Division 1 North, it's some of the best wrestling teams in the state," Dave Henrick said.
"This is the first time anyone has placed or been a sectional champ; it's a huge thing for us. We got a lot of compliments from the coaches up there. It kind of put Peabody wrestling on the map."
Tony Catalano (195 pounds), Rob Liccardi (152), Ronjon Santa Cruz (106), Mike Tardanico (160) and Josh Sweeney (heavyweight) also wrestled well for Peabody.
sT. jOHN'S ADVANCES AS tEAM: St. John's took second as a team in Division 1 North and will move on to the state dual meet tournament, finishing behind the state's top-ranked team, Methuen (2231/2 points) with 184 points. The Eagles also had seven individuals qualify for this week's state meet. Louis Bornstein (106 pounds) and Jared Costa (126) produced second-place finishes; heavyweight Corey Jean-Jacques placed third; and Rich Glazier (113) Jaime Morey (145), David Kou (160) and Ian Butterbrodt (182) each took fourth. Alternates include fifth-place finishers D.J. Lemieux (120), Micah Anderle (132), Peter Locke (160) and James Ingemi (195), as well as sixth-place finisher James Smith (138).
Banderek wins for MAsco: Senior Julian Banderek captured the Division 2 North sectional championship at 195 pounds to highlight Masconomet's strong showing at Beverly High. The Chieftains also got second-place finishes from Ryan Therrien (160) and Nick DiLibero (170), while Aydan Strachan (182, third) and Nick Rizza (113, fourth) will also advance to the state meet.
Chase Jefferys (106), Richie Santosuosso (126), Steve Jones (132) and Ramon Espinal (145) also earned medals by placing sixth and will be alternates for states.
Fourth place for Beverly: Kris Stefani finished fourth at 152 pounds in the Division 2 North sectional Saturday to advance to the state meet. T.J. McGovern (138), Luke McDonald (160) and Brian Perry (220) also placed by each finishing sixth in their respective weight classes.
Danvers/H-W take seventh: The Falcons finished with a team score of 102 points in seventh place. Chris Davis (113 pounds), Chris Behen (132), Sam Anderson (152), Skyla Falite (160), Matt Chigas (182) and Robert Ingersoll (195) all placed fourth and qualified for the Division 3 state champions.
Salem finishes 11th: The Witches came in eleventh place with a 48.5 team points in Saturday's Division 2 North Sectional. Senior Adelin Cueto was Salem's top finisher in third place at 130 pounds, which qualified him for states after going 4-1. Andrew Romeo (220) went 2-2 and placed fourth, and Christian Corcino (heavyweight) came in fifth.
Taylor, Powell crowned: Sean Taylor and Jake Powell became the first juniors to ever be crowned Division 3 North sectional champs for Swampscott-Marblehead in their respective weight classes this weekend. Taylor won with pins, while Powell captured the 113-pound weight class with an overtime victory.
