Father, son have a grip on N.E. crowns

Mike and Gordon Wrin are the region's first father-and-son high school wrestling champs.

The significance of the moment, or the rather remarkable thread linking one to the other, was not lost on father, or son.

Thirty years to the day that Gordon Wrin captured the New England high school wrestling championship as a senior at Framingham South High School, his son, Mike, stepped onto the mat in New Haven and pinned down history.

This past weekend, the Algonquin Regional High junior defeated four opponents in two days - including three state champions - to take the 171-pound championship.

His feat makes the Wrins the first father-and-son duo to capture championships at the annual New England high school competition. And they represent the only New England champions from their schools.

"The big difference is that I did at in the 121-pound class and Mike already weighed 121 pounds when he was in the fifth grade," said the elder Wrin, who coached the Framingham South wrestling team (1985-88) after his days as a competitive wrestler were over.

Thanks to the efforts of Wrin, and his wife, Katarina, their son is able to don a singlet for Algonquin and star on the mat.

The couple spearheaded a drive to restore the school's wrestling program after an 18-year absence, debuting as a club team three years ago before moving up to the varsity ranks a year later.

"I was thinking about what my dad did going into the New Englands. My first thought was to just place and when I got to the finals, I was determined not to lose," said Mike Wrin, who won the Division 2 Central sectional by upsetting Franklin standout Nick Colace in dramatic fashion and was runner-up to Tewksbury's Joel Altavesta in the Division 2 and All-State finals.

"Dad said to just approach each match as if it was being held in the Algonquin gym and not get too caught up in the commotion. He said it's a remarkable feat to win at the New Englands. So now, it's even more remarkable to think that we've both done it."

Wrin, also a kicker, offensive guard and linebacker on the Tomahawks football team, was fourth at the Division 2 wrestling sectionals as a sophomore (where he faced the top three wrestlers in the state), then took off in the postseason this winter.

He defeated Colace, the No. 1 high school wrestler in the region, in double overtime but needed a 5-point headlock with five seconds remaining in regulation to tie the score.

"I knew I needed a big move and I learned the headlock wrestling in youth programs, but I hadn't used it much in high school and it was time to go to the arsenal," said Wrin. "Nick is a great wrestler and he knew a big move was coming, but I just put everything I had into that one move."

Wrin, who compiled at 42-3 record this season, also provided some late heroics at the all-state championship, where he defeated Alex Najar of Shawsheen, 4-3, thanks to a 2-point takedown with 20 seconds on the clock.

"That's just my style of wrestling," said Wrin. "I usually keep it close and low scoring and I'm pretty good at defense. I know how to be in tight matches."

He also knows how to keep his coach on the edge.

"Mike certainly has a little drama in his wrestling style," said Algonquin head coach Peter Connery, who was a volunteer assistant at Framingham High when he left to help resurrect the Algonquin program.

"Mike has set the bar high and has shown that just because we're a new program and can't quite fill all the weight classes at matches, it doesn't mean our kids can't succeed," added Connery, who is assisted by his brother, Jack, and Adam Quitt. "Gordy and his wife helped bring Algonquin wrestling back and Mike helped put it on the map. They're the 'First Family' of Algonquin wrestling."

Algonquin athletic director Fran Whitten describes Wrin and Connery as "kindred spirits. Peter is just what this program needed and he and Mike are dedicated to wrestling."

The younger Wrin credits all his coaches with helping him succeed. "Peter really helped me with technique. He knows all the moves down to the smallest detail, Jack helped me in riding on top of an opponent to keep them from escaping and Adam worked with me every day before practice in the weight room, monitored my diet and made me tougher," he said.

Gordon Wrin also won two state titles as a high school wrestler and took the New England title in Nashua on March 7, 1979.

"I can talk to my dad anytime," added Mike, who was named Most Outstanding Wrestler at the sectionals and at the Marlborough Early Bird and Northborough tournaments this winter. "He really helped me keep my head on straight and to stay focused."

Wrin, who first introduced his son to the sport in youth programs in Natick and Hudson, wrestled briefly at the University of Massachusetts and is now an executive with the Gillette Corp. While at Framingham South (where he was assisted by Jack Connery), he coached two other Connery brothers, Mike and Chris.

"I also coached the 1987 state champion, Tom Franck, who now lives in California, but came back recently to watch Framingham High win the MIAA (Division 1) state championship," said Wrin. "While he was in town, he hosted a fund-raiser for us. We held a night of comedy in Southborough for the Algonquin wrestling program and 350 people came down."

The Algonquin and Framingham coaching staffs and teams are mutually supportive. Connery and Framingham head coach Jon Kanavich coach the Summit Club team, made up primarily of Algonquin and Framingham wrestlers.

Many of the Framingham contingent at the New Englands, along with several of Wrin's Algonquin teammates, cheered him on last Saturday.

"It's been a whirlwind four weeks," said Gordon Wrin, "and what I saw in my son was a young man who had the coaching and training, but for whom the bottom line was that in his heart, he had that extra drive to be his own person and to be a champion."