Saturday, March 11
Cannone, Chorzepa earn All-American honors at NCAA D3
LaCROSSE, Wisc, March 11 – Trumbull’s Cross Cannone, a sophomore at Wartburg (Iowa) College, helped top-ranked Wartburg win their 13th NCAA Division III national championship Saturday by finishing second at 141 pounds.
Cannone was one of two Connecticut wrestlers to earn All-American honors. Newington’s Chris Chorzepa, a senior at Williams College, finished eighth at 184 pounds to earn All-American honors for the third time in his career.
Cannone (30-5) won three matches to earn his spot in the final including a 3-1 overtime win over defending national champion Devin Broukal of Wabash in the semifinals.
Sunday, March 5
Jack, Vollaro earn NCAA Div. I berths
Two Connecticut natives have earned invitations to compete in the 2017 NCAA Division I wrestling championships in St Louis on March 16-18.
Danbury junior Kevin Jack of North Carolina State earned his third straight NCAA championship berth by winning the Atlantic Coast Conference title at 141 pounds on Saturday. Somers senior Doug Vollaro earned his first NCAA berth by finishing third at 285 pounds in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) championships. ... Middletown's Devon Carillo of Wesleyan was named as state athlete of the year by the Connecticut Sports Writers Alliance. Carillo will be honored at the Gold Key dinner in April.
Saturday, March 4
Danbury brings home New England title
PROVIDENCE, R.I., March 4 – With five medalists, two finalists and a New England champion, Danbury became the first Connecticut team in 25 years to win a New England championship with a dominant victory Saturday night. Danbury beat neighbor Newtown, 114-67 as the Nighthawks finished second for the third straight year. Six Connecticut wrestlers won New England titles including Ellis Tech’s Jo Jo Gonzalez (132), who won his second straight title. Foran-Milford had two champions – Ryan Luth (145) and Michael Ross (152) while Southington’s Paul Calo (160) beat Xavier’s Ryan Devivo. At 170, Newtown’s Joe Accousti won a title. Connecticut had 12 wrestlers in the finals in 10 weight classes.
Sunday, February 26
Four state wrestlers qualify for NCAA Div. 3 national tourney
Newington’s Chris Chorzepa, a senior at Williams College, won his second straight Northeast Regional championship (184) and earned a berth to the NCAA Division III national championships for the fourth year. He is one of four state wrestlers to qualify for the nationals in LaCrosse, Wisconsin in March. Middletown’s Devon Carrillo of Wesleyan (197), Trumbull's Cross Cannone (141) and Southington’s Zack Bylykbashi of Washington and Lee (133) also qualified. Four state wrestlers finished fourth and missed qualifying by one place. Three of those four dropped one-point decisions. Johnson & Wales had five qualifiers as they won the NCAA Northeast Region in Rhode Island Sunday. Details and results with our collegiate coverage.
Saturday, February 25
Record-setting performance by Danbury at Open
NEW HAVEN, Feb. 25 – Danbury had a record six wrestlers win State Open championships Saturday in one of the most dominating performances in tournament history. The Hatters scored a record 212 ½ points and had the largest margin of victory (122 ½) in tournament history. Junior Jakob Camacho (120) won his second straight Open title to lead Danbury. Fairfield Warde’s Tim Kane (138) became just the 15th wrestler in state history to win three Open crowns. Newtown’s Joe Accousti (170) and Somers’ Jackson Rheault (195) each won their second Open title. Danbury broke the record for most winners of five set by Greenwich in 1965 and tied by Conard in 1968. Danbury had four champions in 2014 and 2004. The top five finishers in each weight class qualified for the New England tournament.
Monday, February 20
Seeds for upcoming State Open posted
The seeds for the wrestlers competing at this weekend's State Open wrestling championships at the Floyd Little Athletic Center have been posted on the CIAC website. There are 32 wrestlers in each of the 14 weight classes. Wrestling begins Friday and concludes Saturday. The top 5 wrestlers in each weight class qualify for the New England tournament.
Girls state tournament is March 5 in New London
USA Wrestling Connecticut will be hosting the Connecticut Girls High School championship tournament on Sunday, March 5, at New London High. Out-of-state girls are welcome to compete. It will be part of an event that includes the Kids Mighty Mite and Bantam state championships for boys and girls. Online registration closes Friday, March 3, at 10 PM. Click on the link for more information.
Four state wrestlers ranked No. 1 in New England
George Mason wins final two matches to hand Sacred Heart a loss in dual meet finale ... Four Connecticut wrestlers ranked No. 1 in New England as Division III wrestlers prepare for NCAA Div. 3 Northeast Regional this weekend. ... North Carolina State's Kevin Jack (Danbury) has won 25 matches in a row and is ranked No. 2 in the nation at 141. More information in our collegiate roundup.
Saturday, February 18
Eastern nips New Milford for Class L crown
Bristol Eastern had three individual champions and 10 medalists to nip four-time defending champion New Milford to win the Class L championship Saturday night at Bristol Central, 231-230. It was the closest finish in the history of the Class L tournament, eclipsing the 1½ point win by the Green Wave over Hand in 2011. New Milford had five finalists and 10 medalists but had just two individual champions. The Green Wave lost two matches in the finals by one point while Eastern had pins in two of their three finals matches to pick up four extra bonus points. It was Eastern's second Class L title and first since 1996. South Windsor’s Devon Schoenberger (113) was named the outstanding wrestler.
The Danbury High wrestling team had seven finalists and four individual champions to win the Class LL championship for the 19th time and for the second straight year. Xavier pulled away from a tight pack of schools to finish second for the second time in four years with two individual champions and 191 points. Newtown (181), Southington (179½) and Trumbull (169½) rounded out the top five. Ryan Jack (106), Jakob Camacho (120), Andrew Marquis (220) and Michael Gaboardi (285) won titles for the Hatters.
In Class M, Ellis Tech became the first technical school to win a state championship in wrestling with a 30-point victory over defending champion Foran, 213½ to 183. The Golden Eagles had four individual champions who won 11 of their 12 matches by pin. “They were better than us and they were better than us all year,” Foran coach David Esposito told GameTime CT. “It was a harder job for us to come in second this year than to come in first last year. We just got outwrestled by a better team.”
In Class S, Ledyard earned their record 23rd state championship by outlasting ECC rival Windham by 15½ points to win their first Class S title, 203½-188. Montville was third with 185½ points and three individual champions. Ledyard had two champions (Bo Nguyen, 120 and Michael Sullivan, 182) and had five wrestlers in the finals. The three ECC schools won six of the 14 weight classes.
Two state wrestlers bring home NEISWA titles
Green Farms Academy’s Sam Stuart (106) and Hans Forland (120) won New England championships at the New England Independent School Wrestling Association (NEISWA) championships at Hyde School in Maine. For the second straight week, Stuart beat Marvelwood’s Nathan Winter. Stuart beat Winter for the WNEISWA title earlier this month. Suffield’s Academy’s Jesse Polansky finished second at 285. Brunswick was the top team from Connecticut with a fourth place finish with nine medalwinners (top eight). Lachlan Rosato (220) finished third for the Bruins. Top six finishers in each weight class qualified to participate in next weekend’s 82nd National Prep School Association national championship tournament at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa.
Super 32
Camacho, Ortiz win Super 32 titles
GREENSBORO, N.C. Oct. 29 – Danbury senior Jakob Camacho won a deep 126-pound weight class Sunday to become just the second Connecticut wrestler to win a Super 32 high school championship with a 6-4 win over Pennsylvania’s Beau Bartlett, ranked No. 9 in the country by FloWrestling.
Camacho, ranked No. 8 by FloWrestling, went 7-0 in the tournament to become the first state wrestler to win since Suffield Academy’s Alex Cournoyer (112) in 2003.
Camacho was one of three Super 32 champions from Connecticut. New Milford’s Joanne Ortiz won the girls division at 108 pounds while Southbury’s William Henckel won the 95 pound weight class in the 11-and-under division. Plymouth's Cara Broadus lost in the finals at 139.
There were 19 competitors from Connecticut in the high school division. More than 200 wrestlers in the tournament won a state-level title last winter. The field also featured 100 wrestlers ranked by InterMat and more than 50 who were nationally ranked at the end of last season. The event was held at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Hand's Burchell wins at Journeymen Fall Classic
SCHENECTARY, N.Y., Oct. 1 -- Hand’s Michael Burchell, representing Team Tugman, went 3-0 with three pins to win the 285 pound weight class at the Journeymen Fall Classic. It is one of the most prestigious preseason high school tournaments. This year’s event had 245 wrestlers from 30 states with 40 nationally ranked wrestlers. Burchell had pins of 18, 44 and 28 seconds to win the tournament. Danbury’s Jakob Camacho (130), representing Iowa Style Wrestling, lost in the final at 130 to Connor McGonagle of Timberlane, N.H., 3-2 in OT. Danbury’s A.J. Kovacs (145) finished third while New Milford’s Mel Ortiz (130) took fourth. In the B and C tournament, New Canaan’s Justin Mastrioanni (120) beat Danbury’s Ryan Jack in the finals, 5-3.
Four state wrestlers earn All-American honors at Fargo
FARGO, North Dakota, July 23 – Four Connecticut wrestlers earned All-American honors at the USA Wrestling Cadet and Junior national championship meet.
Bristol Central’s Chris Trelli finished second at 106 pounds in the Junior Freestyle tournament while Danbury’s Jakob Camacho was third at 126 pounds.
In the women’s competition, Plymouth’s Cara Broadus (132) finished third in the Junior Women’s Freestyle while New Milford’s Joanne Ortiz (106) was seventh in the Junior Women’s Freestyle and eighth in the Cadet Women’s Freestyle tournament.
USA Wrestling national championships
Broadus, Ortiz earn All-American honors
IRVING, Texas, May 21 -- Two Connecticut girls earned All-American honors at the USA Wrestling girls freestyle national championships. Plymouth’s Cara Broadus finished third in the UWW Cadet Division at 60 kilograms (132 pounds) and seventh in the UWW Junior Division at 63 kilograms (138).
New Milford’s Joanne Ortiz finished fourth in the UWW Cadet competition at 46 kg (101 pounds). Athletes in the Cadet Division are ages 15-17 while athletes in the Junior Division are ages 17-20.
Ellis' Gonzalez wins Dave Schultz award
Windham’s Baltazar Gonzalez, a senior at Ellis Tech in Danielson, has been selected as the Dave Schultz Excellence Award winner from Connecticut. The award, presented by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, recognizes wrestling success on the mat, scholastic achievement and community service.
Gonzalez is a two-time New England, State Open and Class M champion, winning championships in 2016 and 2017. He went undefeated in his final two years in high school with a record of 95-0, including a 49-0 record in 2016. Gonzalez finished with a career record of 171-10 with 93 career pins.
Gold Key Banquet
Carillo, Falbo, Urbina honored at annual Gold Key banquet
SOUTHINGTON, April 30 -- Three men in the Connecticut wrestling community were recognized at the Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance’s 76th annual Gold Key banquet.
Middletown’s Devon Carrillo, a two-sport standout in football and wrestling, at Wesleyan University, was selected as the state athlete of the year. Newtown’s Anthony Falbo was recognized as the state high school athlete of the year while Newtown’s Curtis Urbina received a Good Sport award for his work with the Newtown Youth Wrestling Association.
Carrillo and Falbo are the first wrestlers to win athlete of the year honors.
U.S. Open tournament
Perry takes 2nd at U.S. Open; qualifies for U.S. world trials
LAS VEGAS, April 29 – Former Middletown High wrestler Richard Perry finished second at the U.S. Open championships Saturday night at South Point Arena and earned an invitation to compete at the upcoming U.S. world championship trials tournament. Perry, ranked No. 3 in the country, won his first four matches of the senior freestyle tournament at 86 kg (189 pounds) before losing to No. 2 David Taylor by technical fall, 10-0 in the finals. Taylor has won 16 straight matches at the senior level and was named the outstanding wrestler of the tournament.
FloNationals
Camacho takes 2nd at FloNationals
INDIANA, Pa., April 1 – Danbury’s Jakob Camacho scored three points in the final 1:23 to earn a semifinal victory at the FloNationals tournament Saturday to earn a spot in the championship match at 120 pounds.
But Camacho ran into speedy sophomore Julian Chlebove of Northampton, Pa., and gave up four takedowns in a 13-3 loss. It was the best performance for a Connecticut wrestler at FloNationals. Camacho went 5-1, winning his first two matches by pin.
High School Nationals
Fifteen CT wrestlers earn All-American honors at nationals
VIRGINIA BEACH, March 26 – Fifteen Connecticut wrestlers earned All-American honors at the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) national championship tournaments. Danbury freshman A.J. Kovacs finished second at 138 pounds with five straight wins while Foran’s Michael Ross (152) earned All-American honors for the second time by taking third at the Senior Nationals with a 7-1 mark. New Milford’s Mel Ortiz (126) also finished third with a 7-1 record.
College wrestling
Jack rallies for pin to finish third at 141
ST. LOUIS, March 18 – Already a two-time All-American after winning a consolation round bout on Friday night, North Carolina State’s Kevin Jack (Danbury) finished third at 141 pounds Saturday with a pin over the man who beat him on Friday in the quarterfinals.
Jack (35-2) won two matches to finish third and pinned Wyoming’s Bryce Meredith in 6:20 to secure the win. With his third place finish, Jack is the first collegiate wrestler Connecticut to earn All-American honors twice and it’s the best finish by a Connecticut wrestler in the NCAA Division I tournament since Stamford’s John Engel won the 118 pound championship for Lehigh University in 1931.
At 285 pounds, Somers’ Doug Vollaro of Lehigh University won three straight consolation round bouts but fell one win shy of All-American status, dropping a 4-1 decision to No. 8. Michael Kroells of Minnesota on Friday night.
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