Watertown’s Jimmy Shrestha and Fahad Khan will compete with the top wrestlers from across Massachusetts after both placed fourth at the MIAA Div. 3 State Meet in Gloucester on Saturday.
Both seniors placed among the highest finishes in the State Meet in Watertown history, said Watertown Wrestling Coach Kevin Russo.
“They become the fourth highest place finisher in team history, behind Tessa Master, Tommy Dicker, and Brady Gleason,” Russo said. “They had great leaders ahead of them and we now need to pass the leadership to others.”
Both wrestlers went 2-0 on Friday. Khan competed in the 106 pound division and Shrestha in the 132 pound bracket.
Khan pinned his first opponent and then won an 11-8 decision in the quarterfinals. He was pinned in the semifinal match by the top seed in the bracket, but defeated his opponent 19-3 in the consolation semifinal, before losing an 8-6 decision in the third place match.
Shrestha won his first match by pinning his opponent, and the won by technical fall in the quarter finals. He was pinned by his semifinal opponent (who went on to win the division), then won the consolation semifinal 13-7. He lost the third place match 15-4.
“They both made it to the semifinals and had a solid tournament. They showed that they can wrestle with the top wrestlers in the state. Their hard work paid off,” Russo said. “Jimmy had two wins as a freshman and had over 40 wins as a senior. He showed that working hard can bring a wrestler to become one of the best in the state. Fahad is only a second year wrestler, so his accomplishment is also quite a feat.”
Last week, Khan repeated as champion at the Div. 3 North Sectional Meet at 106 pounds, and Shrestha finished second in the 132 pound class.
By finishing in the top five in at the State Meet, Shrethsa and Khan move on to the All-State Meet in Springfield at the MassMutual Center, which will be held Sunday, March 1 and Monday, March 2. The top seven finishers at All-States qualify for the New England Wrestling Championships in Providence on March 7 and 8.
Russo said the Raiders are close to competing with the best in Div. 3. Dedham placed first, just a half point in front of Gloucester.
“We wrestled both of them on the same day. We lost to Dedham 44-33 and Gloucester 40-39. Both meets went down to the last match of the day,” Russo said. “We are not far off. We just need to decide if we want to turn the corner. We are capable, but the words must become actions. We can control our destiny.”