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Behind every successful high school athletic department, there usually lies established youth sports organizations where athletes sign up for via their parents to learn the nuances of the sport.
In Winchester, Coach Ryan Errico’s high school wrestling program recently concluded another fine season that was filled with team and individual successes, and it appears that’s not going to end anytime soon, thanks to the efforts of the Winchester Recreation Department, headed up by Nick Cacciolfi.
Cacciolfi has been the town’s Rec Director since 2020. Two years later, he helped bring the town’s youth wrestling program under the department’s domain.
Left, Winchester youth wrestler Dunavan Pulli wears his medal proudly on the podium stand after finishing fourth in the 67-pound weight class while on the right Alex Lam gleefully holds up his U-12 state championship trophy from the podium stand. Both youth wrestlers won during the state meet in Gloucester on Feb. 28. COURTESY PHOTOS/WINCHESTER RECREATION DEPARTMENT
The program has averaged at least 30 youngsters each year, between the ages of 7 to 14, and they are all enthusiastic to learn the sport, with the majority of them in the older U12-15 division.
For Cacciolfi, an Athol native, being involved in wrestling has been a labor of love ever since he started competing in the sport as a high school athlete. He understands the program’s success depends on everybody doing their job from the top on down.
“The Rec Department helps with the logistics, so that the coaches – Chris Nissen, Mark Pulli, Bridger Lord and Finn Paragas, a recent WHS graduate – can do their jobs to teach the sport,” said Cacciolfi.
The coaches conduct practices twice per week starting in November on the new mats at the Rec Department’s Main Street facility. On this level, it’s all about teaching technique, but there’s also weekend competitions for the Winchester grapplers in the Northeast Regional League.
The group consists of 14 teams, including Winchester. Burlington, Cape Ann, Chelmsford, Haverhill, Melrose, Methuen, North Andover, Red Roots Youth, Tewksbury, Waltham, Westford, Woburn and River Rivals make up Winchester’s opponents.
The older group of wrestlers eventually competes in the state sectionals to determine the top six qualifiers for the state finals in each weight class. At that point, hundreds of youth teams statewide come together to crown a champion, while the U-8 and U-10 wrestlers go directly to their state finals on Feb. 8.
It all leads to the New England Regional Tournament, and that took place just last weekend, March 14 and 15, at Fitchburg’s Game On Sports and Performance Center.
A total of five Winchester wrestlers – Omar Malik, Daniel Atkivan, captain Robbie Berling, Dunavan Pulli and Alex Lam – participated in the aforementioned state meet in Gloucester on Feb. 28 to determine the top six qualifiers in each weight class for those regionals.
“Omar, Daniel and Robbie came up short of qualifying,” said coach Pulli, “while Dunavan, only a second-year wrestler, made it to the semifinals, before finishing fourth in the 67-pound weight class. But Alex then topped everybody to secure the U-12 state title at 74-pounds.”
Lam was a perfect 4-0 after coming up with two pins and two technical falls in a dominating performance. As a result, he took center stage on the podium stand. Dunavan also made it to the podium after his fourth-place finish.
Pulli then offered these thoughts on his two New England qualifiers.
“It was a good learning experience for both of them,” the coach said. “Alex battled hard against high caliber opponents, winning multiple matches to finish third, while Dunavan came up just short of placing. But together, they took huge steps this year to push our program forward.”
Joe McConnell is a longtime, award-winning sports editor for numerous North Shore publications. He began covering Winchester sports for the News in November 2024 and is currently its Sports Editor. He can be reached at editor@winchesternews.org.
