Player Profile: Elliott Johnson and Kyle Pereira

Norton, Massachusetts a small town not known for much, besides being neighbors to the powerful and dominant towns like Mansfield, Attleboro, Taunton, and many other towns. When the wrestling mats unfold onto the gym floor under the early morning dawn, the audience is dead silent and everyone await a show of their lives. The wrestling program started at Norton High in 2006. Norton High School has won two State titles, five Sectional titles, six Tri-Valley League titles, and they have been three time Sectional runners up. The Norton boys are known for the smash-mouth killers on the mat slaughtering all of there competition in line. Like Kenny Kerrigan head coach of Xaverian Wrestling said " I have no clue what those boys eat down there (The Norton Wrestlers), but when match time comes there are a bunch of ax-murderers." One of the biggest contributors to the Lancers was Elliott "The Hannibal" Johnson.
     Coming from a rough childhood Elliott has took on the role of being a true man, being mentally strong, physically strong, always offering a helping hand to others, and a great wrestler. Coming into his freshman year Johnson broke the varsity line-up at the weight of 160 pounds. The four year starter capable of anything Coach Coleman asked for, nothing ever stopped this young man. The Hannibal went 23-7 in  his freshman year, he did not make an impact on the state tournament but used this as motivation for the years.
    One of this young man's goals was to join the Century club after his career as a Norton Wrestler. Entering his Sophomore year he has the spot locked up at 160. To make it in to the Century Club you have to win 100 matches, and now he only has to win 77 more matches. He went on to win 27 in his second year on the squad just in the regular season. Entering post season in the late cold January weather the Norton Lancers enter the Sectional Tournament where he placed third at picking up 5 more wins here. He placed third in the South Section for Division 3 Johnson awaits, what the team calls "hell week" to prepare for the state tournament. Through a long week of practice the boys are ready to compete, Elloitt one of the few to stay after practice in the late hours of the afternoon to run over his moves and perfect them. After an extensive period of time of cutting weight this is what his season came down to the state title. Going into the the tournament he was nervous and was expected to get booted out in the first round. But Elloitt the strong and powerful animal took down his opponent and moved on. Picking up two wins in the tournament left him disappointed and left a burning fire in his chest amped for the years to follow.
       People awaited all year to see how Elliot would come back this year. Johnson would hit the weights everyday and always work on his moves through the whole off-season bringing a long a freshman wrestler Kyle Pereira. Coach Coleman was asked "What do you expect from Elliot in his junior year? Do you think him taking this freshman Kyle under his wing will transform him?, Coleman replied "Elloitt will come back even stronger, he has never let me down and his year he has big shoes to fill. He puts in a lot of work and he deserves the sectional title, but he has to earn it and beat the section and take the title. Him taking Kyle under his wing shows his character he is a true leader and in a couple of years he will be in charge of his team. I believe Pereira is something special, he's like this hidden weapon you hit your enemies with when they aren't expecting it."
       Entering 2013 the Lancers had to fill big shoes being the defending state and sectional champions. Elloitt cleaned up well on the mat at 182 pounds winning 29 matches and only losing 7. A year with no injuries only hard work, Elloitt excels throughout the whole sectional tournament entering the finals for the first time in his career. He fights off a hard match with a wrestler from Cohasset, but pulls out the win in a blood battle for the sectional title. Running off the mat with a leap of joy in to Coach Coleman's arms where he was congratulated by his team. "This was one of the best feeling I think I have ever experienced there is nothing like it. It felt amazing just to say I did it, I have won I am a champion. I wish everyone can feel the way I did, because there is not a word in the book that could tell you how it felt inside." Coleman responds "I'm proud of Elloitt I knew he could do it but he can't let it get to his head he has a lot of work to do.  He now is awaiting the state tournament where he placed third. He picked up 6 wins and finished his junior year with 32 wins.
Entering his senior year with 92 wins no doubt about it he will reach the century club. He notices that he will reach 100 hundred wins but it doesn't matter to him. Preparing for his last and final year as a wrestler he trys to accomplish more than he did his junior year. " I have to admit my best year as a high school wrestler was in my junior year. I was quick, smart, strong, blew through people, and I won the sections and placed third at state. I could have done better but I felt great that year. I have to step it up this year and I want to do it all again!"

   With only one meet under his belt in his senior year where he picked up three wins a major setback occurred. In gym class captain Elloitt Johnson and captain Alek Donovan, were fooling around and Elliot dislocated his elbow badly, one of the worst dislocations anyone has seen. Coach Coleman sat in angush and did not know what to do. In an interview I asked, "what were you feeling when the principal called you for Elliott?", he replied " I was confused almost lost I could not believe it. I was scared on what was going to happen next. I was in shock I was scared to see how bad it was I was scared to sit in the room watching one of my best wrestlers being prepared to go into surgery. It was a feeling that just sent my heart to the bottom of my stomach.".  While everyone was in school Kyle Pereira received a phone call while he was at lunch, Coleman was on the other side of the line and he told Kyle " you have some big shoes you have to fill we will talk later. " Kyle was weighing in at 192 pounds coming off a shoulder injury when Coleman told him he had to wrestle at 170 in Elliott's spot. "I knew Pereira would step up, he is the type of guy if you ask him to do it he will do it no matter what. I knew he was ready for the varsity line up he is an outstanding wrestler with gifted talent and he was not going to let anything I his way. Kyle had always been the one wrestler in the room who can keep up with Elloitt and not get put to his back. He has always proved to me that he wanted to be in the varsity line up but he has always been behind superstars, this is his time." Coleman said. With a week before the big Marshfield tournament Kyle had a lot of work to do. Only five days before the tournament Pereira was weighing in at 189.2, with only three practices to go. Everyday in the cold winter weather Kyle was in all kinds of sweatshirts and sweatpants just to cut more weight and get down on weight. By Wednesday Pereira was weighing in at 179 but the last 9 pounds would be the hardest. "Losing 20 pounds in a week for anyone it is hard, it was so difficult because soon as I hit 180 I had no fat to burn anymore, it was terrible all I could do was run and run that's all I could do now. I spent my Christmas for 5 hours running around town in 2 sauna with about four sweatshirts on. There came a point where I could no longer do it and just wanted to quit." Said Kyle. With only one day left before the tournament Kyle was weighing in at 172, this was a scary night for Coleman. Russell Hanson a senior captain took Pereira to the YMCA to motivate him to run. Kyle says " there is nothing left in my tank, I have not  had anything to drink or eat all day this is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy no one should be doing this it kills you mentally all you want to do is die, you can even sleep because all you want is food."
     Leaving the YMCA Pereira weighed in at 169.1, all he wanted to do was to weigh in. Marshfield, a tournament filled with elite wrestlers, was a tournament where Kyle was expected to get kicked out in the first round. But he proved everyone wrong, in his first match he pinned his first opponent in the first period. Sleeping off the pain and hunger he then awakes to prepare for his second match against the Brockton Captain, he here beats the boy 3-2 in double over time. Everyone was shocked, a sophomore killing the competition of great wrestlers no one would of have guessed this. "I would never expect this from Kyle he came in on the bus throwing up and looking morbid, but it doesn't surprise me because he is a great wrestler," Says Francis the assistant  coach. Entering his third match he lost and picked up 6th out of 94 wrestlers at this tournament. A great showing for Kyle Pereira's varsity debut as a Lancer.He was expected to get beat in the first round.He proves everyone wrong. He finished off his season 17-4 losing 4 matches to outstanding wrestlers. He was now in a spot where no one would want to be, Elloitt is back ready to roll and it is now a week before post season. Kyle has to make the decision of staying the starter or giving back the position. Kyle stated, " I feel obligated to give it back to my senior captain, he has worked his butt off for this all his career and I can't take that away from him. I just can't do it he deserves it. It hurts on the inside to just give it all away but I have to." Elloitt enters the post season and takes the sectional title for two consecutive years ending his senior year with 104 wins and two sectional titles. Elloitt Johnson and Kyle Pereira have shown the cerisma, will-power, determination, and strength of the Norton High School wrestling team. Kyle closes with " we are a band of brothers I am willing to do anything for these guys no matter what. This experience has taught me a lot of things but most importantly it has brought me and Elloitt close. We are brothers now and we share something that a lot of people don't. I'm proud to say that I am a Norton wrestler."