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By Josh Perry
Hometown Weekly Staff
The Needham High wrestling team recently pulled out an exciting victory against Bay State Conference rival Braintree, which was ranked in the top 25 in the state. The Rockets improved to 7-6 in the league with a 37-30 victory that came down to the final match of the day.
Senior Griffin Hood clinched the victory for the Rockets in his match at 220 pounds. He managed to turn a one-point lead heading into the third period into a pin and a crucial six points.
According to a description from the wrestling team, “Up by one point, Hood chose bottom position going into the third period of his match. Just when it had appeared that he had been turned to his back, Griff bridged hard and rolled through to land on top of his opponent and secure the pin, winning the match for Needham.”
Senior Ethan Okunas picked up four points with a major win at 152 pounds, while captains Panagiotis Zymaris (132) and Lucas Goldman (160) also added major wins and bonus points for the Rockets. Goldman stayed unbeaten in the team’s 13 dual meets.
Juniors Dan Aksman and David Kurker each picked up wins and three points apiece at 182 and 145 respectively, while Ryan Cohen (138) and Carl Serhan (170) battled to go three periods and limit the Wamps to just three points in those matches.
Needham will try to keep it going against Wellesley on Wednesday with an eye on the upcoming sectionals.
Josh Perry is an Editor at Hometown Weekly. He can be reached at news@hometownweekly.net and followed on Twitter at @Josh_Perry10.
