By Alex Abrami Times Argus Staff
For most people, trying a new sport can be difficult, and this was no exception for Randolph’s Paul Lambert.
The home-schooled Lambert went out for the wrestling team as a sophomore, and it took time for him to learn how to wrestle.
“The word on Paul was he was a strong kid, but when he came out he took his share of beatings, “said Randolph coach Aaron Dumont. “Every match it seemed we were stopping blood and mopping it off the mat.”
Soon enough, Lambert saw results.
After placing fourth at states last year as a junior, Lambert won the Northern Vermont Athletic Conference title this year and although he finished a disappointing third at states, his performance at the New England Championships was the highlight of his season. Lambert won the 140-pound weight class last month to become the first Randolph wrestler to win a New England crown since 1991. Fittingly, Lambert’s victory in the New England finals was his 100th of his short career. For his efforts, Lambert has been named the Times Argus Wrestler of the Year.”As a (team), we wanted to go down (to New Englands) and make some noise, “Dumont said. “States was disappointing for Paul, but he got in the right frame of mind and wrestled to his potential.”
Lambert needed to focus for New Englands as he knocked off both the Massachusetts and the New Hampshire state champions on the way to his title. Lambert said he was just hoping to place in the top six.
“We still had practices after states and I felt the pressure was off, “Lambert said. “I was a bit exhausted at the end of the (New England) weekend, but I was pumped when I won.”
Lambert attended several wrestling camps, including one at Cornell University in New York.
“He emerged as one of the team leaders. The more time he spent on the mat, the more he picked up, “Dumont said. “Paul pushed himself as hard as he could and you could see the improvement.”
“Hard work is what really paid off. (Classmate) Andrew Green and I were training together over the summer, “said Lambert who is looking at Johnson and Wales and Western New England for the fall. “That probably helped a lot to keep doing something.”
This year Lambert was in a season-long battle with both Spaulding’s Kyle Fleury and Colchester’s Kyle Bombardier. Although Bombardier got the better of both Fleury and Lambert with a head whip move at states, Dumont believed all three were nearly equal wrestlers.
“It could have gone to anyone when those three got together, “Dumont said. “When Paul stopped worrying about what was going on with the other guys, he was unstoppable.”
And Lambert was indeed unstoppable on New England’s grandest stage.
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