The Cranston West Falcons took 17th place in the Rhode Island Interscholastic League State Wrestling Tournament on Saturday at the Providence Career & Technical Academy while the Cranston East Thunderbolts finished right behind them in 18th.

Thirty-five schools participated in the event.

The Falcons totaled 36 points as a team and the ‘Bolts tallied 28.

Bishop Hendricken took 1st place with 221 points while Ponaganset finished in 2nd with 190.

Rounding out the top ten were Chariho in 3rd place, followed by, Cumberland, Coventry, Mt. Hope, Hope High School, North Kingstown, La Salle and North Providence, respectively.

East had two wrestlers awarded medals with junior Nick Rutherford (152 pounds) and senior Tyrell Newmann (138) both finishing 4th. Rutherford went 4-2 during the tournament, scoring 15 points, while Newmann went 5-2 and tallied 12.

Glen Castiglia, East’s head coach, was thrilled with how the tournament turned out.

“Nick had a great tournament and we couldn’t be prouder and happier with the result,” Castiglia said. “He and Tyrell both finished the year in 4th for our first state medal in a couple of years. So, we were happy to kind of get off of that skid.”

Rutherford too was happy to be awarded after all of the effort he has put into the sport.

“I’ve been working hard for two years and now it’s finally paying off,” Rutherford said. “So, it feels good.”

Newmann was humble and cheerful after his victory as well.

“I’m feeling pretty excited,” Newmann said. “Thanks to our lovely coaches, I was able to do it and my partner right here, Nick, and without them, it wouldn’t have been possible. So, I’m very thankful for that and happy where I am.”   

West had two wrestlers medal with sophomores Chris Gomez (126 pounds) placing 3rd and Tyler Stephenson (132 pounds) finishing 6th.

Gomez beat Coventry’s Jacob Remolina in the 3rd Place Match by a major decision of 13-4. The sophomore totaled 19 points during the tournament.

“I’m feeling great,” Gomez said. “I’m pretty happy. I’m going to be in New England’s again this year.”  

West heavyweight Mustafa Alhazba just missed a medal when he placed 7th at 285 pounds.

Alhazba beat West Warwick’s Mason Clark in Round 2 of the Championship bracket before falling to Hendricken’s Adolfo Betancur in the Quarterfinal. After that, Alhazba defeated Woonsocket’s Mike Dumont in the Consolation bracket before losing to Ponaganset’s Anthony Botello-Robishaw by a 6-1 decision in the fifth round.

The Falcons ended the regular season with an overall record of 6-11 while East finished at 0-15.

Hendricken struck gold three times with junior Andrew Fallon (120 pounds), senior Nathan Williams (126 pounds), and sophomore Nick Fine (138 pounds).

The Hawks earned ten medals in total during the tournament.

Cameron Bailey, a Hawks junior, brought home silver after reaching the 220-pound title match. Then, Noah Sclama, a freshman, and Isaiah Guerrero, a sophomore, each finished in 4th at 113 pounds and 132 pounds, respectively, while Matt Maroney, a sophomore, finished 6th at 145 pounds.

Nate Reid, also a sophomore, finished in 3rd for the Hawks at 152 pounds after he beat Rutherford, from East. Lastly, Hendricken senior Dillon Swanson finished in 5th at 182 pounds, and Betancur, a freshman, placed 3rd at 285 pounds.

The 1st place finish gives Hendricken its 12th State Championship, and sixth for Hendricken head coach Kevin Hennessey.

The Outstanding Wrestler Award was given to Coventry’s Joziah Fry. Fry pinned Mt. Hope’s Nick Gomes at 2:35 of the 106-pound match. The Best Match Award went to the 160-pound bout, which saw Hope’s Ayomide Onajide defeat North Kingstown’s Danny Brown with an 11-6 decision.