The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
East Haven’s DiVitos score pair of titles
GUILFORD — East Haven’s Alec DiVito (132 pounds) and Tanner (DiVito (138 pounds) won titles, while Matt DiVito (126 pounds) was runnerup at the Class M wrestling championships at Guilford High on Saturday..
Alec DiVito said: “I wanted to be at the top of the line. The team has done so well today. To win like that, and then have Tanner get his title and his 100th win is amazing.”
Tanner DiVito said: “Its a dream come true, who can believe you would win your 100th and a state championship in the same match. It means so much to me. I broke my thumb missed football and had surgery. Every morning I would work out with one thought, win a state title.”
LICASTRI WINS FOURTH
Joel Barlow’s Carson LiCastri rolled a hard four when the senior battled through a knee injury to defeat New London’s Jackson Harshberger, by 2:37 second fall in the 195 pound final.
“It feels great to know that all the hard work I’ve done this year, and the last four years has paid off,” said LiCastri, who suffered a torn miniscus and missed three weeks and the SCC tournament. “I thank my coaches, they are a huge part of this. The anticipation was the worst part...waiting to hear from my surgeons (to see) if I could be back in this time frame.”
SUFFIELD/WINDSOR LOCKS WINS TEAM TITLE
Suffield/Windsor Locks will raise the Class M banner after working its way past three contenders.
For coach Matt Mangelli’s Wildcats, who scored 187 points, it was their first state title. It came one week after they took the Central Connecticut Conference championship
Foran (181.5) was second, RHAM (166) third and Branford (163) fourth.
“We competed with 10 wrestlers today and I’m proud of each of them.
They all played a part in this,” said Suffield/Windsor Locks coach Matt Mangelli. “The kids had a common goal and each of them wanted to get to that (finish) line. We made a good chase at the end of the season.”
Josh Nieroda (113), Zachary Johns (126) and Dylan Washnurn (145) won finals.
Matt Raine, a senior captain for the Wildcats, who wrestled back to earn third at 152 pound, said: “There was a lot of excitement the last two weeks,” said s. “Putting a state banner up for the first time is great. I love the one on one of wrestling. I love how difficult it is. I love that feeling you get when you win as an individual or as a team. You can’t replicate it.”
For the Foran Lions, it was the second consecutive season they were M runners-up, and the eighth straight season they have placed in the top three. They werre without a finalists, but had eight wrestling back to place in the top six.
Foran coach Dave Esposito said, “The most gratifying thing for me is to see our guys go out there and let it loose. It is such a mental grind. The experience of the last seven years (two titles, 4 seconds, 1 third) comes into the mix today. They know that every (team) point counts, a pin, a major decision. We had a lot of guys overachieve.”
With the title vacated when Killingly dropped to Class S, it was a wideopen battle for first, in the team score and in individual weight classe. Only two champions returned — Joel Barlow’s Carson LiCastro and Avon’s Christopher Gen. Each added another title.
GENS REPEATS
“You always have to be wary when you haven’t wrestled someone,” Christopher Gens from Avon said after pinning Adam Frame from Brookfield in 3:51 to win the 220pound title. “I was very excited, all my matches went very well. The kid (Frame) was really tough, you can see the cuts on my face. Senior year has gone very well (36-0).”
The Most Outstanding Wrestler in Class M will receive the award at the State Open.