Michael Smith
The St. Michael The Archangel Catholic wrestling team was missing some competitors in its starting lineup and Richmond took advantage.
The Guardians were missing four wrestlers including ranked ones like Brodie Purtle (ranked No. 4 at 190 pounds) and Sampson Stillwell (ranked No. 1 at 285 pounds) in Monday’s dual at home. The teams split 12 matches, but two of St. Michael’s opens gave the Spartans the 12 points they needed to take a 36-30 victory.
Wrestler Interviews:
- Richmond’s Madix Hutchings (132)
- Richmond’s Cayden Morris (126)
- Richmond’s Paul O’Brien (190)
- St. Michael’s Carter Gulick (285)
- St. Michael’s Lucas Barry (144)
A big part of that victory was senior Cayden Morris’ pin of Jack Abraham in the 126-pound weight class, which gave the Spartans their first six points of the dual after they trailed 15-0.
“I didn’t wrestle too well,” Morris said. “I am not a leg rider but I tried to ride his legs. I just have to get back in the room and get better. I used a cradle to get the pin.”
Sophomore Madix Hutchings (132) also had a crucial role in the win. He trailed St. Michael senior Trevor Green 3-2 before getting a takedown in the final five seconds of the match to take a 4-3 win.
“Usually, I wait until the last minute to get my shot because I knew he was going to be tired at the end,” Hutchings said. “ I got my two and sealed the victory.”
Junior Paul O’Brien (190) junior had another impressive win for the Spartans. He bumped up to the varsity team from JV for the first time and used a half nelson to turn sophomore Lewis Tellado for a pin in the third period after building a 9-5 lead….
