According to Hall of Fame Football coaches John Madden and Joe Gibbs there is a direct correlation, between football and wrestling. That was evident last Tuesday night at the Marshfield Holiday Tournament where senior captains Tyler Genereux and Colin McKenzie took down their opponents, much like they had done on the gridiron during the Dragons’ Super Bowl run.

Despite being the #4 seed, McKenzie received a first-round bye and proceeded to pin his next two opponents in the 140-lb. weight class. New Bedford’s Jason Fredette couldn’t make it out of the first period, and in the quarterfinals, North Attleboro’s Shane Devlin couldn’t make it past the second period. According to masswrestling.com, the #6-ranked McKenzie opened the eyes of the coaches in charge of seeding when he upset #1-seed Tom Jones of Bridgewater-Raynham with a 6-4 decision. In the finals, Pembroke’s Pat Claflin didn’t have a game plan to counter the speed and workman-like approach of McKenzie, who shutout one of Pembroke’s best, 4-0, to win the championship.

Genereux faired better, getting a #2-seed at 171-lb., despite having beaten New Bedford’s Bobby Bulgar (the #1 seed) at the tournament last year. After a first-round bye, Genereux showed why he is tough to beat on his feet, taking down Pembroke’s Mark King numerous times en route to a 16-6 major decision. It was much the same for Cohasset’s Tom Flibotte, who spent most of the match on the mat while falling, 6-1. The #9 ranked Genereux went on the offensive again in his semi-final match with Marshfield’s Tommy Pomella, taking him to the mat three times before letting him up for a one-point escape and a 6-1 decision. It was much the same in the finals, with Genereux cruising to a 7-1 decision over Plymouth South’s Blake Nyman to win another championship for Duxbury.

Junior Tim Donoghue was another reason why Duxbury finished seventh overall in the field of 27 teams from across the Bay State, as he took third-place in the 103-lbs. weight class. Donoghue pinned his way to the semi-finals before a costly move against New Bedford’s Jon Costa put the junior grappler on his back, giving Costa the win and the pin late in the third period. The Duxbury wrestler did not let the loss get to him, as he went on to pin his next two opponents to take home the bronze medal.

Senior captain Johnny Barrett (152) placed fourth after pinning three of his five opponents.

At the Whitman-Hanson Tournament on Saturday, Duxbury crowned four champions, and finished second overall as a team. The champions were Donoghue in the 112-lbs. weight class, junior John McGeady in the 160-lbs. weight class, and McKenzie (145) and Genereux (171), who kept their unbeaten streaks intact.

Barrett and senior captain Justin Carroll (130) finished second, while seniors Kyle Scola (135) took third, and Zach Sanchez (140) finished fourth.