Massena Red Raiders Win Over Canton Bears, 39-30

Photos by: Chris Dunshee.

The Massena Red Raiders wrestling team defeated Canton-Potsdam 39-30 in a hard-fought victory Wednesday night at Canton. The meet's early stages were dominated by the Raiders. 145-pounder Mike Perry downed Canton-Potsdam's Kevin Allott, followed by Phil and Tom Barreiro defeating Ramsey Locke and Rob Dargie to put Massena up 12-0. 171-pounder Brendon Kelly put the Bears on the board with a 3-point decision over Sawyer Clauson. Massena fired back as 189-pound senior Jon Ashley pinned Jesse Miller in 2:44 to give the Raiders a 15-point margin over the home team. At the 215-pound weight class, Massena's John Dobbins pinned Canton-Potsdam's John Bressett to pull away to a 24-3 advantage. However, Canton-Potsdam turned the tide once the meet moved to the lighter weight classes. With a forfeit victory for Curtis Barney and a pinfall victory for Eb Foote, the Bears cut Massena's lead to 24-15. Massena's Travis Metott defeated 8th-grader Angelo Landi via pinfall in the 119-pound matchup, but the Bears roared back. Senior Aaron Brown scored a decision, while junior Shawn Brown and freshman Nick Butler scored pinfalls in a combined 3:23 to bring the Bears within striking distance of the Red Raiders. However, 140-pounder Robert Rochefort pinned Potsdam tenth-grader Andy Rorick in 5:23 to cement the Massena victory. Rochefort was carried around the gym by his friends and teammates in celebration. The victory moves the Red Raiders into second place in their division behind Ogdensburg Free Academy.