Otter Valley wrestling team grabs five podium finishes and seventh place out of 39 teams at Keene tournament
By DUKE WHITNEY
Otter Valley Union High School wrestling made an outstanding showing at the 2025 Annual Minickiello Wrestling Tournament in Keene, N.H., on Saturday.
With 39 teams from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut taking to the mat to vie for the championship, the Otters came out in 7th place—the highest finishing Vermont team.
The Otters battled a tough competition but ended with 5 team members earning a spot on the podium—including a title win at 190 pounds by senior Isaac Whitney.
In the team competition, Concord, N.H., won with 219.5 points. OV earned 117 points with five wrestlers making podium finishes.
Otter senior Lincoln Wilcox finished 6th in the 165-pound weight class. Junior Drake Felkl came out with a 5th place finish at 215. Keegan Reid finished strong earning 4th at 190.
In the 157-pound class, sophomore Blake Allen wrestled very well but lost a very tight match in the quarterfinals. Wrestling back thru the consolation bracket, Allen captured third place and a spot on the podium.
Whitney was the highest place finisher on the OV squad. In the round of 16, he pinned Zachery Lavalley of Portsmouth, N.H., in 38 seconds. In the quarters, Whitney pinned Dylan Lake of Derry, N.H., only 36 seconds into the bout.
Facing a tough opponent in the semifinals, Chase Flagg of Bow, N.H., Whitney battled all three periods and earned the major decision, 9-0. The Championship bout brought 9-0 Collin Eddy from Montague, Mass., to the mat. Whitney wrestled extremely well and secured a technical fall—earning a 15-point lead—half-way through the second period, solidifying the championship.
The Otters’ next meet is a three-way duel with Mt. Anthony and Middlebury on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at Otter Valley. The Otters then return to New Hampshire this coming Saturday. Jan. 11, for the annual tournament in Nashua.
