Nashua South's Ben Byrne stands at the top of the podium after winning the 157-pound title at the NHIAA Division I wrestling championship Sunday in Londonderry. (Photo by Dan Attorri).

LONDONDERRY – Last year Ben Byrne fell one step short of his goal of winning a wrestling title. This year he finished the job.

The Nashua High School South senior had a perfect day at Sunday’s NHIAA Division I wrestling championship, going 4-0 to claim the 157-pound crown. Byrne also punched his ticket to Saturday’s Meet of Champions.

“Last year I came here, I didn’t come up with what I really wanted,” Byrne said. “It feels good to finally get it. I’m really happy. I’m glad to being going into (Meet of Champions) with a win.”

Byrne opened the day with quick first-period pins in his round of 16 and quarterfinal matches against Salem’s Micah Howard and Manchester Central’s Chris Compas, respectively, before winning a grueling 6-2 decision over Keene’s Jacob Hamm in the semifinals.

“For me, getting those matches out of the way are big confidence boosters and help me get my muscles ready for the end,” Byrne said.

Byrne, the top seed at 157, kept things simple for the final, taking an early lead and taking a conservative approach from there, finishing off his championship campaign with a 6-3 decision over No. 2 seed Ryan Sigillo of Timberlane. Having already faced Sigillo on Nashua South’s senior night on Jan. 28 (a bout Byrne won 12-5), Byrne knew he was in for a tough test and didn’t take any chances.

Takedowns in the first and second periods gave Byrne a 3-0 and 6-0 leads, and he stayed on top of Sigillo for most of the match, content to run out the clock. Sigillo picked up some points in the final 39 seconds of the bout, but ran out of time for a comeback.

“I wanted to win on my terms and give him no chance where he could get anything,” Byrne said. “I think I did that pretty well today.”

Sigillo and Byrne could have a rematch at the Meet of Champions. The top six from the D-I championship, the top five from D-II and the top four from D-III qualify, but Byrne sees Sigillo as the clear challenger at 157.

“I’ve got to give Sigillo props,” Byrne said. “He’s been the guy this year. He gave me a scare at the end.”

Byrne is one of three Nashua wrestlers who qualified for the Meet of Champions. Teammate Arush Dutta finished sixth in the 120-pound bracket, going 3-3 for the day.

Sebastian Ochoa lifts Concord’s Dominic Schinella before taking him down during their 126 semifinal bout at the NHIAA Division I wrestling championship on Sunday. Ochoa lost the semifinal in a 24-9 technical fall, but came back through the consolation bracket to take third place Sunday in Londonderry. (Photo by Dan Attorri)

Nashua North’s Sebastian Ochoa lived up to his No. 3 seed at 126 pounds, taking third place. Ochoa went 4-1 and wrapped up the bronze spot on the podium with a first-period pin on Keene’s Jacob Jones.

Timberlane defended its team title, winning four individual championships and five runner-up medals. The Owls finished with 281 points, with Concord (221) and Keene (181.5) rounding out the top three.

Nashua South (43) finished 12th and North (34.5) placed 13th.

The Meet of Champions will be Saturday at Pinkerton Academy.