PROVIDENCE — Three East Providence High School competitors placed at the 2023 Rhode Island Interscholastic League State Championship Meet held over two days last weekend, February 24 and 25, at the Providence Career and Tech Academy Fieldhouse.

Senior Martim Moniz reached the semifinals of the main draw at 120 pounds where he lost to Ponaganset’s David Perez and eventually settled for fourth place overall.

Likewise, Robbie Amaral was among the final four wrestlers in the main draw at 182 before he lost to Ponaganset’s Preston Marchesseault and he, too, would later finish fourth.

Jacob Poore wrestled for the final placing spots at 160 pounds, losing in his bout Cumberland’s Dmitriy Dillon to finish sixth in the division.

Team notes
As a group, the Townies placed 11th out of 36 teams, 35 of which scored at least a point.

Ponaganset was the far and away winner of the team competition, earning 251 total points. The Chieftains had five individual champions and scored in 11 of the 14 weight classes, including Perez’s runner-up result at 120. The title was the second in school history for Ponaganset, which only won its first state championship in 2018.

Hope was second with 147 points, one ahead of third place Bishop Hendricken. The 2022 state champ Coventry was fourth with 133 and Cumberland fifth with 115.

The Townies were edged out of the top 10 by just one point. Mt. Hope, with 62 points, finished just in front of EPHS.

More solo notes
Moniz mentioned before states the 120 pound title would likely be decided between himself and three others, and he proved prescient.

The EPHS senior received an opening round by then won his next two matches by pin, in 1 minute, 48 seconds over Central’s Naiem Mian in the Round of 18 and in 5:37 over Lincoln’s Edwin Mooney in the quarterfinals.

In the semis, Moniz met up with the first of the three opponents he knew he would like face to win the division, Ponaganset’s Perez. The stout Chieftains’ freshman, who had handed Moniz a loss during the regular season, won their rematch last Saturday by a convincing 9-1 margin.

Undeterred, Moniz earned a major decision over Mt. Hope’s Carson Correia to reach the consolation round/third place match final where he and Cranston West’s Cam Davis, another opponent he mentioned, claimed a narrowed 2-1 victory.

The third 120 contender Moniz discussed leading up to states did win the division, Peyton Ellis. The Coventry junior, who won the 113 state title last year, defeated Perez by pin at 1:23 for the 120 crown this winter.

Amaral followed a near identical path to his finish at 182. He had a bye to open then beat Chariho’s Trey Segar in just 57 seconds and Central’s Nasir Brooks in 2:54.

In the semis, though, Marchesseault pinned Amaral mid-way through the second period, at 3:14.

Amaral then got the better of a battle with Barrington’s Tyler Herrara in one of the highest scoring bouts in the wrestle backs, 12-11, before lost to Cumberland’s James Titre by pin seconds into the third and final period, at 4:07.

Marchesseault ultimately lost to Hendricken’s Spencer Fine, 3-0, in the 182 final.

As for Poore, he seemed to be following the same track as his mates, receiving a bye then winning 14-4 over Cranston West’s Charles Wall and 8-2 over Central’s Yulical Cruz before he fell in the semis 4-1 to the eventual class runner-up Connor Winfield of Narragansett.

In the fifth/sixth place match, he was pinned by Cumberland’s Dillon just prior to the end of the first period at 1:50.

Andrew Reall of Ponaganset took the 160 title with an 8-0, major decision over Narragansett’s Winfield.

More EPHS results
The rest of the EPHS results were as follows: 106 pounds, Brady DeRoy, 1-2; 138, Charles Phillips, 2-2; 152, Evin Decker, 2-2; 170, Ferhat Akdemir, 0-2; 113, Jonathan Raposo, 0-2; 195, Jorden Carl, 2-2; 285, Machar Francis, 0-2; 132, Matthew Marlow, 2-2; 145, Simon Palumbo, 2-2.

— East Providence Post and eastbayri.com staff photographer Rich Dionne shot the accompanying gallery of photos.