SALEM — Before Milford High School’s wrestling team began its season, PJ Boccia made sure his squad understood its objective. The head coach wrote “1.5” on his whiteboard with red and black markers, the school’s official colors. No one had to ask its meaning; they all understood. It was the losing margin — 1.5 points — of Milford’s loss to Minnechaug in last year’s MIAA Division 2 state tournament. Despite Milford securing multiple individual state titles, Minnechaug did well enough in the consolation bracket to win the team championship. “I wrote it down on the whiteboard,” Boccia said. “It’s on the door. It’s everywhere. When you go in that room, you’ll see ‘1.5 ’just as a daily reminder of why we’re here to work.” Milford had seven wrestlers compete for individual titles during Saturday’s Division 2 tournament at Salem High. Aidan Baum (144) and Michael Boulanger (157) won their respective weight class in their final season of eligibility while junior Derek Marcolini was victorious in the 126-pound bracket. Brayden Boccia (113), Josiah Carney (138), Ryan Flis (150) and Luke Donis (190) were runners-up in their respective brackets as the Scarlet Hawks captured the Division 2 title with 177.5 points. It marked Milford’s third Division 2 state title in four years, which included back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023. “It was exciting, but I’ve tried to keep my emotions in check,” said Boulanger, who will wrestle at Duke next year. “I’ve been here before, so I wasn’t trying to get too amped up. I feel like when I get too excited, sometimes the matches can get a little stressful.” Baum, who will continue his athletic career at Division 3 Wisconsin-La Crosse, practiced with Boulanger throughout their five seasons together after being awarded waivers during the COVID-19 season to compete at the varsity level as eighth-graders. “My son [Brayden] has looked up to [Boulanger and Baum] for a long time,” Boccia said. “That’s all he knows. He knows the success. He knows how hard they work. He’s seen it his whole life. So they definitely set the standard.”
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