Dean Pacini has recently overtaken Matt Harding for the most wins for a wrestler in Oliver Ames History! He is absolutely driven- truly a man on a mission. So far, nothing has been able to stop the senior as he is still undefeated this season. No, I did not mistype. He’s actually undefeated this year, with 34 wins and not a single loss.
But this is not just luck. Dean has worked insanely hard all of high school to get to the spot he is at today. He is constantly at the gym and even got a job at the YMCA, so he practically lives there.
“I did a lot of offseason wrestling and worked out harder than I ever have before” said Dean. It is clearly showing benefits thus far, as he has been able to take down some great opponents with ease.
One thing that really demonstrates his dominance is the reactions other teams have when they see him go to the mat. Sadie Walton, one of managers on the team said “I’m constantly asked about Dean’s record. One time a kid even asked about his diet plan and workout routine. When it gets closer to the match, the other managers always get distracted by Dean warming up and forget to pay attention to their own teammate.”
He has defeated many people that are ranked from all over New England, but he said his “proudest moment was beating a kid from Rhode Island and King Phillip, both who were highly ranked in the state and New England.”
Teammate Billy Tat (senior) had uplifting words about Dean, saying “from the beginning of this year, Dean set his mind on getting the record for the most wins ever (in OA history) and achieved it in quick fashion. There’s little in his way to stop him. He has been taking down everything in his way. He is like if King Kong had a child and made him 195 pounds.”
Even with an incredible season up to this point, Dean is still not satisfied. When I asked him what he was most looking forward to he said “the state finals match. I want to win it all.” He is locked in and nothing in his way has been able to stop him. Pacini has between 18-20 matches left in the 195 weight class in division 2. I asked if he thought he has a chance to go undefeated all season long and he humbly replied “I don’t know. We will just have to see what happens. I will just keep giving it all in my matches.”
He has already accomplished so much this year, such as being ranked number one in the state and making history with the most wins for OA wrestling. His overall high school record is now 113 wins and only 26 losses and with a lot of the season to go, he has a chance to distance himself from the rest of the wrestlers in OA and in the state.
There is no doubt that we are witnessing history, and I can’t wait to see what he does next.