Two decades ago, Michael Stamison, then a student at Marblehead High School, was the captain of a co-op wrestling team made up of Marblehead and Swampscott High School students.
Today, Stamison remains close to the program, dubbed Black and Blue Wrestling, a name that blends the colors of the two schools. Over two stints, he has coached the program now for a total of 16 years.
“I have my 10-year-old son, but this program is my other baby,” said Stamison. “To be the head coach of a team that you captained, I feel tremendous pride.”
Stamison said the Swampscott-Marblehead team isn’t the most winning program in the state, but it is well thought of in the area and always has had individual stars.
Perhaps the brightest of those stars, Liam O’Brien, took the mat on Saturday, January 31 along with the rest of the varsity team at the Northeast Conference and Cape Ann League Tournament held at Beverly High School.
Senior captain and Swampscott student, O’Brien entered the gym after having already won the annual tournament twice in previous years.
Once again, O’Brien marched through his weight class’ bracket on the way to his third NEC/CAL Tournament title.
With his win in the finals, O’Brien reached 175 career match victories. Stamison said reaching 100 is a huge accomplishment for a high school wrestler.
O’Brien’s 175 wins, and counting, are the most by any wrestler in Swampscott-Marblehead program history.
“He has been so dominant for so long,” said Stamison.
O’Brien is currently ranked second in Massachusetts at the Division 2 level at the 138-pound weight class.
He is also valuable off the mat. O’Brien like another coach, said Stamison. He spends time helping out and cheering on younger athletes.
“It means a lot coming from one of their peers,” said Stamison. “He is a great captain and an even better kid.”
Stamison said the majority of this year’s Black and Blue roster is very young, and a lot of wrestlers are in their first year playing the sport.
“They are so raw at first,” said Stamison. “When they do something for the first time that you just showed in practice a day or two prior, it’s the most satisfying thing in the world. Seeing them use what we taught them in a match fills me with so much pride.”
The program has made winning the NEC team sportsmanship award an annual tradition in recent years.
“Of course we’re competitors and we can be real jerks on the mat, but once the whistle blows you pick each other up and shake hands,” said Stamison. “You’re shaking hands with your opponent prior to trying to kill each other for six minutes. And then you shake hands again.”
One of Stamison’s favorite parts of the co-op program is seeing student athletes from the two rival high schools, who might not have met if not for wrestling, become friends and spend time together outside of the sport. Stamison also applauded the athletes for willingly giving up most of their Saturdays during the season.
“It’s a scary thing to step on the mat,” he said. “It takes a really special person. The kids on the team appreciate the task at hand and how difficult the sport is.”
