WAKEFIELD – Tewksbury needed a strong finish in the finals to have any hopes of taking the team state title in Division 3 wrestling after just missing out in 2022 and 2023 as state championship runners-up to Melrose.

Strong finish might be an understatement as the third time around proved to be the charm.

The Redmen sent 11 wrestlers to the state tournament, with eight grapplers picking up points en route to the team capturing the Division 3 state championship at Wakefield High School for the first time and second state title overall with a Division 2 win in 1989.

The Redmen posted a score of 151.5 and secured things quickly.

Tewksbury swept the first three state final bouts as Jack Lightfoot (106), Nick Desisto (113) and Benjamin Barrasso (120) took home individual titles to put the team title on ice before the finals even got hot.

Desisto, only a sophomore, can now claim back-to-back state titles as he also won in in the 106-pound division in 2023 as a freshman. He’s in rarefied air as only one of two first-year students to capture a state title in Tewksbury history.

The state title win this year coincides with his 100th victory.

“Last two years we lost by like one point every time but this year we placed a lot more kids to wrestle. Now I’m going for an All-State title and try to place in New Englands,” said Desisto, a three-time North Sectional champion as he started his path in eighth grade. “Back-to-back-to-back wins for us was special, I don’t think that has ever happened before.”

Barrasso sealed the team victory in style with a 7-5 pin to send the Redmen faithful into a frenzy.

Hunter Johnson (157) picked up a third place, Manuel Mengata took fourth in the 215-pound division, and Cameron Heichman (144), Sean Callahan (132), and Angelo Desisto (126) all picked up points to showcase the depth for Tewksbury head coach Steve Kasprzak.

“Certainly depth but also experience as we’ve been here three years in a row and had that bitter taste in our mouths before and we just had a bunch of kids that wanted to be a part of something bigger than themselves,” said Kasprzak, a wrestler back in 2003 for the Redmen. “They bought in and the reason we have success is because they push each other in the practice room. Jack, Benny and Nicky have been best friends since they’ve been five years old running around together. They go at each other every day, so there is no secret why those three have their success.”

Anthony Mann (Hanover) captured the trifecta of state titles with a 6-0 decision over Miguel Borges (Marlboro). Mann competed in 138 as a sophomore, 145 as a junior, and finished the state title trophy shelf with a victory in the 150-pound division to become the first wrestler in Hawks history with three consecutive individual state titles.

Ashland was state runners-up with 124 points, host Wakefield took third place with 120 points, along with Gloucester (108.5) and Foxboro (77.5).

Speaking of Ashland, the Clockers surprised the field to win the girls state championship in their first season as a program with 61 points wins from Angie Nommi (145) and Nora Quitt at 138, and three third-place finishers.

South Shore (42) was the state runner-up. Bristol-Plymouth (40) and Franklin Country (40) tied for third. Ludlow took fifth with 34, with Samantha Bertini taking first place in the 100-pound division.

Quitt came in as the top-seed and didn’t waste much time capturing the title with a 2-0 pin in the first round over teammate Carly Larson, who was third. Quitt won an All-State title last season at 136 as she continues to pile up dominant victories for Ashland.

Nommi picked up pins over Elana Thomas (Carver) and Makayla Patrick (Pathfinder) on the way to her state title win.

Head coach Adam Quitt has been with Pete Zacchilli’s Ashland program as an assistant and now heads the girls program while watching his daughter Nora and her younger sister Raina compete on the mat for the first time together.

“We are a close program, we are really tight, and we do everything together. Without coach Zacchilli, we wouldn’t even have a girls program,” said Quitt. “He did everything for me, the organization and we all do it together as a team, but this is an honor and what a great bunch of girls. We started three months ago and it’s great to see them come together and bring it home.”