Tewksbury senior Nicky Desisto has been selected as the Valley Sports Daily Player of the Week for Feb. 16 through Feb. 22. Desisto is the ninth student-athlete chosen as Player of the Week for the winter season.
A week after becoming the first-ever Tewksbury wrestler to capture five sectional titles, Desisto nabbed his fourth state championship at the Division 3 state tournament last weekend to again put himself in solo company as the only grappler in the history of the program to win four state titles.
Competing at Gloucester High, the 126-pound Desisto defeated Jisup Shin of Weston in a 19-4 tech fall in the final. Desisto has won four state crowns at four different weight classes, including 106, 113, 120 and 126. Desisto was tabbed the Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.
“This is a special accomplishment and obviously doesn’t happen often, so when it does, it deserves to be recognized,” said Tewksbury head coach Steve Kasprzak. “Nicky has bigger goals, but we are just proud to be a small part of his success. Nicky is focused on what lies ahead not only in the rest of this postseason but also the college level. He’s been a privilege to coach, but we are not done yet.”
The Redmen compiled 88 points for a fifth-place finish at the event. Sean Callahan also captured a state title, beating Owen O’Reilly of Nauset in a 6-1 decision in the 144-pound final. Jack Lightfoot placed second at 132, while Jack Leone finished sixth at 190.
The Player of the Week is selected by the Valley Sports Daily staff. Nominations can be submitted throughout the week up until Saturday night at 8:00 PM. There may be a poll posted on Sunday with the nominations. The results of the poll influence the selection but do not strictly dictate the decision.
