Danbury's Camacho is named state wrestler of the year
SOUTHINGTON, March 12 – Danbury junior Jakob Camacho won his first New England championship at 120 pounds and helped lead the Hatters to their first New England title since 1990.
On Sunday, he was named Wrestler of the Year in balloting by coaches at the Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) All-State banquet at the Aqua Turf restaurant.
For the first time in four years, Danbury was recognized as the state’s team of the year.
Wrestlers that won State Open, Class LL, Class L, Class M and Class S championships were recognized with All-State honors along with seven senior wrestlers earning Academic All-State honors. State Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year honors were also presented.
The Hatters were the first state team to win a New England title in 1990.
But in the last 27 years, the title has been elusive. Twice, the Hatters had four placewinners in 2004 and 2005 but they finished third each time. In 2014, Danbury had five medalwinners including Kevin Jack winning a New England title but the Hatters were 13 points behind Mt. Anthony, Vt.
This year, it finally came together for Danbury.
The Hatters brought eight wrestlers to the New England tournament and all eight won at least one match. Two went to the final, five won medals for finishing in the top six and Camacho won a New England title. He was also named the tournament’s outstanding wrestler.
Danbury won the championship with 114 points with neighboring Newtown finishing second for the third straight year with 67 points. It was the largest margin of victory since 2011 when Timberlane, N.H., won by a record 57 points.
The Academic All-State award recognizes seniors in good standing at their schools and members of the All-State team in wrestling. Candidates also need to score at least 1,800 on the SAT and/or at least 26 on the ACT.
