BUCKLAND – With things tightening in the third period of a championship bout, Alex Willard remembered something Saturday evening.

“After six years wrestling, I realized I really wanted to win this,” he said with a laugh.

The Hampshire Regional senior led 5-0 after two periods in the title match at 152 pounds during the Western Massachusetts Division 3 Wrestling Championship at Mohawk Trail Regional. Things got tense in the final two minutes however, as Mount Everett’s Michael Devoti received a point for stalling and had Willard on his back – or almost on it.

“I was worried at that point. There was genuine concern in that moment,” recalled Willard, the No. 1 seed in the 152-pound bracket, of the moment Devoti cradled him with about 1 minute, 30 seconds remaining in the third.

Despite being pushed to the brink, Willard never relinquished the lead. Devoti received three points for a near-fall but wasn’t able to score a pin. Willard held on for a 5-4 decision, winning his first career sectional title after taking third place each time he wrestled in past WMass tourneys. He joined older brothers DJ and Mason as sectional champs.

“It was a race against the clock and luckily I was able to hold on and get the win,” said Willard, who took all three of his matches on Saturday into the third round. “Obviously there are expectations to win [a title] because my brothers set the bar high. I’m happy to be able to meet those expectations but I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.”

While Willard managed to hold on in the third period of his match, Smith Vocational junior Alex Martinez did the bulk of his damage in the final frame to join him in the winner’s circle.

Martinez and Southwick’s Nick Sikand were tied 2-2 after two periods in the championship match at 138 pounds on Saturday. Seeded third in the field, Martinez saved his best for last. An escape midway through the third period gave him the lead, and he scored a takedown moments later to put the nail in the coffin. Martinez finished with a 5-3 decision, winning his first career sectional title in the process.

“Since the first practice of the year, the goal has been win Western Mass., win Western Mass.,” Martinez offered. “Just going into the final, I knew I had to show out. I believed in myself and knew I could win.”

Martinez trailed into the third period of his semifinal match against Fevzi Elevli of Hampden Charter, but rallied late with a takedown. In the quarterfinals against Mount Greylock’s Seth Blanchard, he picked up a 10-4 decision.

Martinez was one of four Smith Vocational wrestlers to reach the championship round on Saturday, as the Vikings finished an impressive fifth place as a team with 129 points. Hampden Charter won the team title with 172 points, followed by Monument Mountain (156), Taconic (155) and Mount Everett (148).

“I’m so proud of the other guys,” Martinez lauded. “We’ve worked our tails off this year so to get four or five guys going to states is awesome. It just shows that we may not be the most talented team but I think we really work the hardest.”

Mateo Henriques (106), Matthew Small (132) and Forrest McSweeney (145) all scored second-place finishes at Saturday’s championship. McSweeney nearly rallied from a 7-3 third-period deficit in the title match against Duggan’s Jeremiah Cruz, but couldn’t quite pull even in the end as Cruz escaped with a 7-6 decision.

All three Vikings will join Martinez at next weekend’s MIAA Division 3 Championship, set to be held in Wakefield on Friday and Saturday. The top four finishers in each weight class advance to states, while the fifth-place finishers at Saturday’s meet serve as alternates.

Frontier duo claim titles

A year ago, Jake Mattson lost in the sectional final. Conner Hoffman didn’t even get a chance to compete.

Those memories were distant on Saturday, as the Frontier Regional School seniors stood atop the podium in their respective weight classes at the Western Massachusetts Division 3 Wrestling Championships.

Mattson, the No. 1 seed at 195 pounds, won all three of his matches via pinfall, securing his first sectional title with a second-round pin of Monument Mountain’s Luke Hartshorn in the title bout on Saturday.

“I’m overcome with joy,” said Mattson of capturing the WMass title. “I grew up alongside the mats, so it’s a dream feeling to be able to win a title.”

After finishing second at last year’s tournament, Mattson said he dedicated himself all season to capturing a championship. He picked up wins over Northampton’s Lundon Manca and Mount Greylock’s Nicholas Bellora to set up the title bout with Hartshorn.

“Being the top seed was nice but I know that means everyone is going to come at you as hard as they can,” said Mattson, who led 5-0 after one period. “[In the finals] I knew [Hartshorn] was going to come out swinging out of the gates so I had to wait, be patient and capitalize.”

Mattson was buoyed by the performance of Hoffman, who won the 170-pound title about 15 minutes earlier in a slobberknocker of a championship match against top-seeded and defending WMass champion Broc Healey of Taconic.

Seeded third at 170, Hoffman, who missed the 2022 postseason with a broken hand, marched into Saturday’s title match with wins over Mohawk Trail’s Izaya Romer (technical fall) and Gateway’s Eli Gilbert (11-7 decision).

“I had a chip on my shoulder, worked hard all offseason to get to this point,” explained Hoffman. “I live for these moments.”

Hoffman stormed to a 4-1 lead after one period and that advantage held into what turned into a wild third period against Healey. The Frontier senior notched three takedowns in the final frame, keeping the defending champion at arm’s length to notch a 14-5 major decision.

Frontier finished ninth as a team during Saturday’s tournament (103.5 points). Four wrestlers from the program are heading to states, as in addition to Mattson and Hoffman, Javion Cabrera finished third at 285 pounds, while Wyatt Finch took third at 113.

Other state-bound grapplers

Northampton will send three wrestlers to next week’s state tournament after finishing 11th as a team with 70 points on Saturday.

Senior Quane Randall was the runner-up at 285 pounds, falling to Monument Mountain’s Sam St. Peter in the title bout. Randall will be joined at the state meet by teammates Keagan Hollister (160) and Schuyler Trapani (220), as both finished in third place on Saturday.

Hampshire’s Adin Clifford (145 pounds) will join Willard as state representatives from the 12th-place Raiders (55 points), as he was third in his weight class.

South Hadley’s Logan Luis (120) took third place and qualified for states, as the Tigers finished 14th as a team (44 points). Gateway’s Eli Gilbert was third at 170 and also punched a state ticket, helping the Gators finish 15th with 43 points.

Santiago claims Div. 2 title

Seeded third at 220 pounds, Holyoke’s Juan Santiago put it all together on Saturday.

Santiago won all four of his matches en route to capturing the title in the Western Mass. Div. 2 Championships held at Northbridge High School.

Santiago edged Marlborough’s Kevin Desena in the 220-pound final, scoring a late third-period takedown for a wild 7-6 decision. He won two matches via pinfall before also earning a 2-1 decision over Northbridge’s Nicholas Byrne in the semifinals.

Santiago’s performance helped the Knights to a 10th-place finish with 59 points. Granby was 11th as a team, buoyed by the performance of state tournament-bound Junior Ramsey who finished third at 195 pounds.

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