17 CT wrestlers named Academic All-American
Eighteen Connecticut high school athletes, including 17 wrestlers, have earned Academic All-American honors from the National High School Coaches Association. Click on the link to see the athletes who were recognized for their athletic and academic excellence.
Eleven state wrestlers earn medals at MAWA Eastern Nationals
SALISBURY, Md., May 5 -- Eleven Connecticut wrestlers finished among the top eight at the recent Middle Atlantic Wrestling Association’s (MAWA) Eastern National wrestling tournament. Ashford’s Sean Johnson (75 pounds, Intermediate) won his weight class along with Newtown’s Anthony Falbo (136, Intermediate) and Wallingford’s Connor Dintino (285, Elite). New Milford’s Halim Bourjeili (111, Elite) finished second while New Milford’s Javon Priar (86, Junior) finished third.
Other state wrestlers winning medals included Somers’ Jackson Rheault (150, Intermediate) who took fourth, Oakdale’s Jacob Caskey (140, Elite), who finished fifth, New Milford’s Zachary Arnold (140, Advanced), Madison’s Justin Elias (150, Open) and Plainville’s Mario Acca (177, Open) who finished seventh and Danbury’s Jakob Camacho (85, Intermediate), who finished eighth.
Two CT wrestlers win medals at Ohio tournament
COLUMBUS, OH, April 20 – Two Connecticut wrestlers won medals Saturday at the Ohio Tournament of Champions.
Pomfret native R.J. LaBeef went 3-1 in the Open Division at 155 pounds, losing in the finals to Craig Becker, an assistant coach at North Central College and a former three NCAA Division II All-American at Wisconsin-Parkside. LaBeef is a freshman at Cleveland State.
At 220 pounds in the Open Division, former Bacon Academy wrestler Aren Norman finished third with a 3-1 record. His only loss was a 2-0 defeat to eventual winner Joe Brandt, an Division II All-American sophomore from Ashland University. Norman is a sophomore at Tiffin University in Ohio.
Five state wrestlers earn All-American honors at NHSCA
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., April 7 – Five Connecticut wrestlers earned All-American honors at the National High School Coaches Association’s national championship wrestling tournaments this weekend.
Danbury sophomore Johnny Garcia (160) finished second, New Fairfield freshman Taylor Shay (120) took third, Danbury junior Kevin Jack (120) finished fourth, New Fairfield freshman Andrew Damico (160) finished sixth while Xavier freshman Dakota Carden (145) finished seventh.
Click on the link for more details and names of each CT wrestler participating in the NSCHA and FloNational tournaments this weekend.
Tuesday, April 2
Hand's Delehanty resigns
MADISON, April 2 -- Hand High wrestling coach Erik Delehanty has resigned after five years behind the bench. He has been offered and has accepted a physical education teaching position in a Massachusetts community and will begin teaching there on April 15. In five seasons, Delehanty helped lead Hand to two SCC championships, a Class L state championship in 2012, a pair of second place finishes at the State Open and a second place finish at the 2012 New England championships. “This was a difficult decision to make and I will miss the program immensely,” Delehanty wrote in a Facebook post. “The highlight of working for the Madison public schools the past five years has always been the wrestling program. I have met some amazing parents, coaches but most importantly student athletes.”
Saturday, March 23
Perry wins 2 matches at NCAA Div. I tourney
DES MOINES, IA – The only Connecticut wrestler in the 2013 NCAA Division I wrestling tournament won two matches before getting eliminated. Middletown High graduate Richard Perry wrestled at 197 pounds for Bloomsburg University and went 2-2. Perry (30-6) opened his tournament with a 7-5 win in OT over Army’s Bryce Barnes. Trailing by one in the third period. Barnes got a takedown to take a 1-point lead but Perry was awarded a point for riding time to send the bout into OT.
In the second round, Perry faced No. 3 seed Matthew Wilps of Pittsburgh in a rematch of the Eastern Wrestling League final won by Wilps. The match was scoreless in the second period when Wilps escaped. Perry went for a leg but Wilps countered and turned it into a takedown for a 3-0 lead. Another three back points gave Wilps a 6-0 lead and he went onto a 9-1 decision.
In the consolation round, Perry beat Caleb Kolb of Nebraska, 7-3 with a takedown in each of the three periods and a point for riding. But Perry’s tournament ended with a tough 4-3 loss to No. 6 seed Kyven Gadson of Iowa State. Gadson took a 2-0 lead with a first period takedown and extended his lead to 3-1 with a second period escape. Perry’s takedown late in the second period tied the bout at 3-3. But Gadson received a bonus point for more than one minute of riding time to get the win.
Perry lost to a pair of All-Americans. Wilps finished third while Gadson finished sixth.
Jack named state wrestler of the year
SOUTHINGTON, March 10 – Danbury High junior Kevin Jack was named the state wrestler of the year in balloting by coaches from around the state at the Connecticut High School Coaches Association’s annual All-State banquet Sunday at the AquaTurf Restaurant.
Danbury, which won the Class LL championship and the State Open championship, was recognized as the state’s team of the year. Xavier's Elliot Antler was named the Scholar Athlete of the Year. Click on the link for the banquet program in color with all of the All-State and Academic All-State selections.
Saturday, March 9
Coutu finishes third at NCAA Division II meet
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama, March 9 – Former Griswold High wrestler Brock Coutu, a junior at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, earned All-American honors by finishing third at the NCAA Division II national championship tournament Saturday.
Coutu (23-10) beat No. 5 ranked Maurice Miller of Notre Dame-Ohio twice to finish third at 141 pounds. Coutu advanced to the semifinals with a 3-2 win over Dave Cawley of Pitt-Johnston and a 7-6 decision over Miller in the quarterfinals. Ryan Fillingham of Adams State beat Coutu, 6-4 to go to the championship match.
But Coutu remained strong with an 8-0 win over Michael Hamel of Grand Canyon and rallying for a big 8-6 win over Miller in the consolation final. Trailing 4-1 early, Coutu dominated the rest of the way with nearly three minutes of riding time to earn the victory.
No 3 Nebraska-Kearney had a one point lead over St. Cloud State going into Saturday night’s finals with four wrestlers in the finals.
Perry qualifies for NCAA Div. I tourney
EDINBORO, Pa., March 9 – Former Middletown High wrestler Richard Perry of Bloomsburg State qualified for the NCAA Division I championships by finishing second at the 38th annual Eastern Wrestling League tournament at 197 pounds. Perry fell to three-time EWL champion Matt Wilps of Pittsburgh, 5-4, who was named the tournament’s outstanding wrestler. The top two wrestlers from 197 pounds qualified for the NCAA Division I championship meet on March 21-23 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Perry (28-4) beat Justin Oretega of Clarion in the semifinals, 13-5. In the final against Wilps, he gave up a takedown and escape in the second period to fall behind 3-0. A reversal cut the Wilps lead to one. In the third period, a Perry reversal gave him a 4-3 lead but he couldn’t prevent a Wilps escape that tied the match at 4-4. Wilps, who is ranked No. 1 in the country in the NCAA tournament seedings, picked up a point for riding time and earned the 5-4 win.
Pitt won the EWL title for the third straight year, beating host Edinboro by 8½ points with Bloomsburg taking third, three points behind Edinboro.
Malone eliminated at
Big 10 tournament
CHAMPAIGN, Ill., March 9 -- At the Big 10 tournament, Granby native Dom Malone (125) of Northwestern University won his first round match over Wisconsin’s Matt Cavallaris with his team-leading eighth pin of the year in 2:35 but fell in the quarterfinals to top-seeded Matt McDonough of Iowa, 5-4 in a hard-fought battle.
Malone (17-12) was the aggressor from the start against McDonough and scored the first takedown of the match and had the 4-1 lead after a second first-period takedown. McDonough evened things up at 4-4 by the time the first period expired but Malone had racked up riding time. In the second, McDonough recorded an escape at 1:13 to take the 5-4 lead but Malone still had 1:05 of riding time. Neither wrestler scored the remainder of the period and Malone started the third period down. Malone was unable to escape as McDonough, who is a two-time NCAA champion and three-time finalist, erased Malone's riding time to take the narrow 5-4 victory.
Malone dropped his first consolation round match to Joe Duca of Indiana, 6-2, and was eliminated.
Four state wrestlers win New England titles
PROVIDENCE, R.I., March 2 – Four Connecticut wrestlers won New England championships Saturday at the 49th annual New England wrestling championship tournament. Danbury’s Kevin Jack (120), New Fairfield’s Mike Amorando (160), Xavier’s Elliott Antler (171) and Glastonbury’s Andrew Cavanna (220) came home with New England titles. Five Connecticut wrestlers finished second – Glastonbury’s Joseph Rosetti (106), New Fairfield’s Taylor Shay (120), South Windsor’s Casey Mitchell (145) and Sam Odell (152) and Fairfield Warde’s Amed Hourani (285).
Finishing third was Windham’s Michael Ruffino (112), New Britain’s Geovanni Medina (132) and Danbury’s Juan Garcia (160).
Mt. Anthony, Vt., won its seventh New England championship with two individual champions, three finalists and four medalwinners. Five-time defending champion Timberlane, N.H., was a distant second. Danbury was the top Connecticut team in sixth place. More details, coverage and photos coming later Sunday.
Video of New England finals
Click on the following link for a two-hour presentation of the New England finals with play-by-play and commentary
Danbury voted as No. 1 team in state
DANBURY, Feb. 25 -- With its 11th State Open championship in 13 years, Danbury was the unanimous selection as the No. 1 team in the state coaches poll as conducted by the Norwich Bulletin. The Hatters (16-2) received all 13 first place votes. Windham High was ranked No. 2 with Ledyard nipping New Milford by one vote for third place.
Saturday, Feb. 23
Danbury wins 11th State Open title
NEW HAVEN, Feb. 23 – Four Danbury wrestlers went 15-3 in the consolation round and junior Kevin Jack gave up just one point in four matches to win his second straight State Open championship as Danbury regained the State Open title. The Hatters outlasted Windham and South Windsor, who finished tied for second. Jack and South Windsor’s Jake Odell were the only wrestlers to repeat as Open champions. The top four finishers in each weight class qualified for next week’s New England championships in Providence.
Wrestling begins early Saturday due to possible snow
Due to the forecast for snow and winter weather on Saturday, the CIAC has adjusted its schedule for the State Open wrestling tournament. Wrestling will begin with the quarterfinals and second round consolation bouts at 9 a.m. Championship semifinals are at 12:30 p.m. Finals are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m with consolation finals (3rd place, 5th place) to begin at 3:15 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 21
State Open begins on Friday in New Haven
The State Open wrestling championships begin Friday at 4:30 p.m. at the Floyd Little Athletic Center at Hillhouse High in New Haven. Plenty of great action to see on Friday and Saturday. If you can't get there, real-time results will be available through Kap Wrestling.net.
Ledyard has the most athletes in the tournament (11) followed by Farmington (10), New Milford (9), Danbury (8), Trumbull (8) and Windham (8). Five previous champions return -- Danbury's Kevin Jack, New Britain's Geovanni Medina, South Windsor's Sam Odell, Conard's Lucas Muntz and Newington's Chris Chorzepa. Jack, Medina, Odell and Chorzepa won a year ago while Muntz won in 2011. The top 3 wrestlers from last year's tournament at 170 all return. Top 4 seeds in each weight class and Open pairings here.
Sunday, Feb. 17
Champions crowned
Click on the respective links for the top six placefinishers and brackets from the respective state tournaments.
2013 New England championships
At Providence
Top 25 team results – 1. Mt. Anthony, VT 109, 2. Timberlane, NH 69½, 3. Exeter/West Greenwich RI 64½, 4. North Andover, MA 61. 5. Dracut MA 60½, 6. Danbury 59½, 7. New Fairfield and South Windsor 48, 9. Gardiner, ME and Glastonbury 47, 11. Billerica, MA 44½, 12. Frankin MA 38, 13. St. John’s Prep MA 35½, 14. East Providence RI 32½, 15. Methuen, MA 32, 16. Marshwood, MA 30, 17. Bridgewater Rayntham, MA and Fryeburg , ME 27, 19. Pembroke NH and Xavier 27, 21. Central Catholic, Fairfield Warde 26, 23. Skowhegan, ME 25, 24. Braintree, MA and Nashua North NH 24
Other Connecticut results
31. Windham High 21, 32. Foran 20, 39. Bacon Academy and Newington 18, 43. New Britain 17, 48. Conard, Somers 16, 58. Southington 13, 69. Wethersfield 11, 70. New Milford 10, 79. Hand, Lyman Memorial/Windham Tech 9, 83. Hall 8, 90. East Lyme, Holy Cross, Ledyard 6, 96. Westbrook/Old Saybrook 5, 105. Immaculate/Joel Barlow 4, 113. Manchester 3, 121. Hartford Classical/Capital Prep, Fairfield Ludlowe, Middletown CT, Portland, CT 2, 130. Trumbull 0, 162. Middletown, RI minus 1.
Individual results
106 -- Final: Peter DelGallo (Gardiner, ME) dec. Joseph Rossetti (Glastonbury), 3-2
3. Cam Kelly (Franklin, MA) dec. Ben Defronzo (Lincoln Sudbury, MA), 9-6
5. Hector Reynoso (Lawrence, MA) medical forfeit over Collin Cardoso (East Providence, RI)
113 -- Final: Connor Sheehan (Fryeburg, ME) dec. Troy Gassaway (Mt. Anthony, VT), 3-1
3. Michael Ruffino (Windham) dec. Ben Zogby (Franklin, MA), 6-4
5. Tyler Craig (Skowhegan, ME) medical forfeit over John Altieri (Warwick, RI)
120 -- Final: Kevin Jack (Danbury) dec. Taylor Shay (New Fairfield), 12-0
3. Jon Ryan (Dracut, MA) dec. Nick Derosa (Billerica, MA), 4-2, OT
5. Adam Corey (Timberlane, NH) dec. Brian Amato (Newington), 6-3
126 -- Final: Christian Monserrat (Methuen, MA) dec. Pat Lacroix (Central Catholic, MA), 5-2
3. Andrew Howard (Moses Brown, RI) dec. Colin Sevigney (Wells, ME), 3-2
5. Nick Makrys (Reading, MA) medical forfeit over Eric Reyes (Dedham, MA)
132 -- Final: Miguel Calixto (Mt. Anthony, VT) dec. Johnny Do (Framingham, MA), 8-6
3. Geovanni Medina (New Britain) dec. Kyle Peterson (Manchester Central, NH), 3-2, 2 OT
5. Abbas Tamaradze (Hampton Charter, MA) dec. Brandon Levesque (Bishop Guertin, NH), 4-2
138 -- Final: Mike Stewart (Dracut, MA) dec. Danny DelGallo (Gardiner, ME), 4-3
3. Paolo Tavares (New Bedford, MA) medical forfeit over C.J. Luth (Foran)
5. Jake Strohman (E Longmeadow, MA) pin Josh Burnham (Timberlane, NH), 0:39
145 -- FInal: Christian LaBrie (Exeter/West Greenwich) dec. Casey Mitchell (South Windsor), 3-0
3. Jim Ryan (Dracut, MA) dec. Tom Grifa (Silver Lake, MA), 9-4
5. Nolan Viens (Bellows Falls/Hartford, VT) dec. Coleman Powers (Camden, ME), 3-0
152 -- Final Andrew LaBrie (Exeter/West Greenwich, RI) dec.Sam Odell (South Windsor), 7-5 OT
3. Cody Hughes (Marshwood, ME) dec. Fritz Hoehn (North Andover, MA), 10-3
5. Lucas Muntz (Conard) dec. Devonn Pratt (Shawsheen, MA), 7-6
160 -- Final: Mikey Amorando (New Fairfield) dec. Brad Drover (North Andover, MA) 4-3
3. Juan Garcia (Danbury) dec. Colin Claflin (Pembroke, MA), 8-5
5. Connor Brown (Champlain Valley, VT) medical forfeit over Khamri Thomas (Windsor Locks)
170 -- Final: Elliott Antler (Xavier) dec. Jared Jensen (Brunswick, ME), 9-1
3. Justin Caparco (Johnston, RI) dec. Michael Gallagher (Narragansett, RI), 5-3
5. Alexe Restivo-Lage (Natick, MA) dec. David Burke (Exeter, NH), 8-3
182 -- Final: Aaron Conrad (Bridgewater Rayham, MA) dec. Ryan Neals (North Andover, MA), 7-3
3. Shawn Donahue (Braintree, MA) pin Austin Price (Mt. Anthony, VT), 2:00
5. Harry Denoncourt (Timberlane, NH) dec. Jimmy McDunnah (Wethersfield), 1-0
195 -- Final: Leo Trindade (Billerica, MA) dec. Ramesses Akamefula (Brookline, MA), 8-0
3. Joe Chimelski (Nashua North, NH) pin Kyle Foster (Somers), 1:29
5. Zachary Maxwell (Southington) dec. Jake Genereux (Duxbury, MA), 5-3
220 -- Final: Andrew Cavanna (Glastonbury) dec. Ian Butterbrodt (St Johns Prep, MA), 11-5
3. Dakoda Simula (Plymouth, NH) dec. Kyle Streeter (Harwood, VT), 4-1
5. Victor Irwin (Brewer, ME) medical forfeit over Nikolis Zicus (Lincoln, RI)
285 -- Final: Jesse Webb (Mt. Anthony, VT) pin Amed Hourani (Fairfield Warde), 4:54
3. Jonah Aurelio (East Providence, RI) pin Donavan Lozada (Chicopee, MA), 1:28
5. Corey Jean-Jacques (St Johns Prep, MA) won by decision over Jonathan Comeau (Belmont, MA), 6-3
2013 State Open championships
At New Haven
Team results – 1. Danbury 130, 2. Windham High and South Windsor 121, 4. New Milford 93½; 5. Fairfield Warde 78, 6. Ledyard 76, 7. Newington 75½; 8. Glastonbury 74, 9. Bacon Academy 72, 10. Southington 65; 11. Foran 59½; 12. Daniel Hand 59, 13. Manchester 55, 14. Trumbull 53, 15. Avon 52, 16. New Fairfield 50, 16. Xavier 50, 18. Lyman Memorial/Windham Tech 32, 18. Middletown and Farmington 32; 21. New Britain 29½; 22. East Lyme 28½; 23. Greenwich, Conard, Somers 28, 26. Montville and Fairfield Ludlowe 27; 28. Wethersfield and Immaculate/Joel Barlow 26, 30. Windsor Locks 25, 31. Hall 24½; 32. Nonnewaug 23, 33. Waterford and SImsbury 21, 35. Maloney, Berlin, Westbrook/Old Saybrook 20, 38. Oxford 19, 39. Bristol Central 18, 40. Portland 16, 40. Hartford Classical Magnet/Capital Prep 16, 42. Platt High and Norwich Free Academy, Hartford co-op 15, 45. Guilford 14½; 46. Jonathan Law and Ridgefield 14, 48. Westhill 13, Holy Cross and Pomperaug 13, 51. Canton 12, 52. Terryville, RHAM and Suffield High 11, 55. Griswold, Bethel, Norwalk, Fairfield Prep, Newtown 10, 61. SMSA/University and Bristol Eastern 9, 63. Cheshire, Derby, Windsor 8, 66. New Canaan 7, 66. Rocky Hill 7, 66. St. Bernard/Norwich Tech/Wheel 7, 69. Fitch 6½; 70. Old Lyme, Staples and Haddam-Killingworth 6, 73. Branford and Vinal Tech 5, 75. Lyman Hall, Wolcott Tech, Goodwin Tech 4, 78. Stamford, Thomaston, Morgan, Killingly 3, 82. East Catholic, New London, East Haven, Stafford 2, 86. Brookfield 1, 87. Housatonic, Seymour, East Windsor, Masuk, Plainville, Wilton, Gilbert, Hale-Ray, Stratford, Woodstock Academy 0
Individual results
106 Championship: Joseph Rossetti, Glastonbury dec. Paulo Freitas; Danbury 4-2; Third Place: Matthew Elias, Daniel Hand dec. Mark Chien,; Greenwich 5-2; Fifth Place: George Wales, Fairfield Ludlowe dec. Halim; Bourjeli, New Milford 13-8
113 Championship: Kareem Small, East Lyme dec. Michael Ruffino, Windham; 3-2; Third Place: Chris Bryant, Danbury dec. Kyle Lindner, New Milford; 6-0; Fifth Place: Brentt Smith, Waterford dec. Benjamin Batulanon,; Fairfield Ludlowe 3-0
120 Championship: Kevin Jack, Danbury dec. Brian Amato, Newington 5-1; Third Place: Taylor Shay, New Fairfield dec. Devon MarcAurele, Ledyard; 5-1; Fifth Place: Benjamin Durst, Simsbury dec. Daniel Ebert, Fairfield; Warde 5-2
126 Championship: Matt McAllister, Bacon Academy dec. Conor Caffrey, South Windsor 7-2; Third Place: Niko Stefanatos, New Milford dec.; Brandon Liscinsky, Trumbull Forfeit; Fifth Place: Nathan Solomon; Southington dec. Emmet Lacastri, Immaculate/Joel Barlow 1-0
132 Championship: Howard Kilpatrick, Bacon Academy dec. Geovanni Medina, New Britain 7-4; Third Place: Max Odell, South Windsor pin Pharoah; Eaton, Fairfield Warde 0:28; Fifth Place: Ryan Bannon, Jonathan Law; dec. Jacob Caskey, Montville 3-2
138 Championship: CJ Luth, Foran dec. David Colvin, Westbrook/Old; Saybrook 9-4; Third Place: Christian Zotti, Newington dec. Zach Tepper, Danbury 4-2; Fifth Place: Favion Williams, Weaver/Hartford Public dec.; Dylan Bender, Fairfield Warde 10-5
145 Championship: Casey Mitchell, South Windsor dec. Jimmy Murphy, Avon; 6-4; Third Place: Shane Jennings, Danbury dec. Josh Fontanez, Portland; 8-3; Fifth Place: Bryan Burnette, Holy Cross pin Jake Eliades, Berlin; 1:59
152 Championship: Sam Odell, South Windsor dec. Clay Callahan, Foran; 3-2; Third Place: Lucas Muntz, Conard pin Kameron Bradshaw, New Milford; 0:54; Fifth Place: Jophy Nieves, Maloney dec. Brandon Finney, Ledyard Forfeit
160 Championship: Khamri Thomas, Windsor Locks dec. Mikey Amorando, New; Fairfield 2-1, 2 OT; Third Place: Juan Garcia, Danbury pin Brandon Fulco, Trumbull 1:59; Fifth Place: John D'Agostino, Nonnewaug dec. Benjamin; Onofrio, Daniel Hand 3-0
170 Championship: Elliot Antler, Xavier dec. Christopher Chorzepa, Newington 6-5; Third Place: Devyn Petsa, Windham pin. Joe Murphy, Avon; 1:53; Fifth Place: Dante Futia, Middletown dec. Thomas Anania, Fairfield Warde 8-5
182 Championship: Colin Grim, Ledyard dec. Jimmy McDunnah, Wethersfield; 5-3; Third Place: Kevin Wivell, Daniel Hand dec. Brian Donovan, Manchester 5-1; Fifth Place: Dan Rodrigues, Avon dec. Spencer Hill, Windham Forfeit
195 Championship: Zachary Maxwell, Southington dec. Kyle Foster, Somers; 6-4, OT; Third Place: Christopher Joel Samboy, Classical Magnet/Capital Prep; dec. Steven Ghossaini, Immaculate/Joel Barlow 5-2; Fifth Place: Thomas; Anderson, South Windsor pin Erik Mercado, Trumbull 4:51
220 Championship: Andrew Cavanna, Glastonbury dec. Patrick Sawicki, Bacon Academy 5-3; Third Place: Nicholas Poulin, Windham pin. Benjamin; Morales, Ledyard 0:26; Fifth Place: Robert Tozzi, New Milford pin Michael Fisher, Conard 2:16
285 Championship: Wolfgang Fiasconaro, Windham dec. Tobias Lichtenstein, Hall 4-1; Third Place: Amed Hourani, Fairfield Warde pin Darick Orange, Lyman Memorial/Windham Tech 3:25; Fifth Place: Christopher Simmons, Manchester dec. Travis Daly, Southington 6-4
Outstanding wrestler: Elliot Antler, Xavier (170)
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