HomeNewsFundraisingHopkinton and Ashland face off in Annual Coaches vs. Cancer event

Hopkinton and Ashland face off in Annual Coaches vs. Cancer event

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20th Century Homes

On the evening of December 14th, Hopkinton and Ashland came together for the Hillers’ first home wrestling meet of the year at the annual Coaches vs. Cancer match.

Hopkinton and Ashland use this meet to raise money to benefit cancer research. Cancer has plagued both of these communities. Between the teams, five of the coaches have a family member who has passed from cancer, and two of the wrestlers are survivors. Between the towns there were 141 people who are survivors, actively fighting cancer, or have lost their lives to cancer that were honored during the match.

“We held this event for the first time in 2018, to great success,” said Ashland resident and organizer Jenn Karner. “While we are rivals on the mat, we really value the communities coming together to support this great cause.”

From left to right; Jess Karner, Gabe Sanchez (junior), Tim Nelson
From left to right: Event organizer Jess Karner, cancer survivor Gabe Sanchez, and Tim Nelson.

The match didn’t go according to plan for Hopkinton. The Hillers jumped out to a quick 18-6 lead after three quick pins, but “things can change in a matter of seconds” said Senior captain Adam Distasio, “There were times where we were in a good spot, but a couple of our guys ended up pinned. That’s just how wrestling goes sometimes.”

Though the final score was 39-28 in favor of Ashland, it was a great match and the Hopkinton squad is looking forward to next year to renew the rivalry.

Senior captain Justin Sokol seconds after his first period pin
Will Liptak
Senior Will Liptak stares down his opponent
HHS Coach Corey Mills cheers his team on

Klara Niss contributed reporting and photography for this event.

Foemmel Fine Homes

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