Holliston wrestler Matt Amante secures pin in Panthers' win over Bellingham on Senior Night

Tommy Cassell, MetroWest Daily News
·2 min read

HOLLISTON — Senior Night festivities didn't take long for the Holliston High wrestling team on Wednesday.

It lasted all of two minutes.

That's because the Panthers have just one grappler who is a 12th-grader: Matt Amante.

So after Holliston head coach Mike Capobianco gave a brief speech, Amante handed flowers over to his mother, Jessica Hughes, before posing for a picture with his mother and father, Greg Amante, prior to the Panthers' match with Bellingham.

The Holliston High School wrestling team defeated Bellingham 47-30, on Senior Night, Jan. 26, 2022. Senior captain Matt Amante (center) was honored before the match, here with dad Greg Amante and mom Jessica Hughes. Amante is the lone senior on Holliston.
The Holliston High School wrestling team defeated Bellingham 47-30, on Senior Night, Jan. 26, 2022. Senior captain Matt Amante (center) was honored before the match, here with dad Greg Amante and mom Jessica Hughes. Amante is the lone senior on Holliston.

"It went by really, really fast," Matt Amante said.

Amante won his match with a pin just over a minute in as six total Panthers secured pins to help Holliston beat Bellingham, 47-30.

"We talked about having a complete team win and sending Matty out with a win and the kids stepped up and delivered," Capobianco said.

"It was definitely a cool thing to go out there and just finish on the right note at home," Amante said.

So Coach, have you ever had a Senior Night with just one senior?

Bellingham and Holliston High School wrestling captains at the coin toss at Holliston High School, Jan. 26, 2022.
Bellingham and Holliston High School wrestling captains at the coin toss at Holliston High School, Jan. 26, 2022.

"No," Capobianco said. "That's a first."

Here's a breakdown of all six Holliston wrestlers who won via pin on Wednesday:

Michael DeRubeis

Year: Junior

Weight: 120 pounds

Move: Reverse half nelson

Matt Amante

Year: Senior

Weight: 126 pounds

Move: Bar arm

Quote: "That's always the goal to pin them."

The Holliston High School wrestling team defeated Bellingham, 47-30, on Senior Night on Jan. 26, 2022. Senior captain Matt Amante (left) and junior Anthony Touchette shown after the match.
The Holliston High School wrestling team defeated Bellingham, 47-30, on Senior Night on Jan. 26, 2022. Senior captain Matt Amante (left) and junior Anthony Touchette shown after the match.

Zak Robinson

Year: Sophomore

Weight Class: 138 pounds

Move: Lat drop

Quote: "One of the more flashy moves. I've always talked about doing more lat drops but that was the first time I did it in a match. It was pretty fun."

Ben Fisher

Year: Sophomore

Weight: 145 pounds

Move: Half nelson

Ryan Lukowiak

Year: Sophomore

Weight: 152 pounds

Move: Cradle

Meet: The coaches who were named the Daily News Coach of the Year for fall 2021

Finn Blossom

Year: Junior

Weight: 182 pounds

Move: Half nelson

The Holliston High School wrestling team warms up before its match against Bellingham, Jan. 26, 2022.
The Holliston High School wrestling team warms up before its match against Bellingham, Jan. 26, 2022.

The victory moves Holliston to 2-11 overall and 2-2 in the Tri-Valley League.

Holliston next wrestles on Saturday at the Capital City Classic in Concord, New Hamphsire before heading to Norton for a TVL meet on Wednesday.

Tommy Cassell is a senior multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached at tcassell@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @tommycassell44.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Matt Amante Mike Capobianco Holliston wrestling wins on senior night