The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Killingly rises to the top; Foran takes home second
GUILFORD — Getting a response from coaches to the question which teams were best positioned to win a Class M championship brought about a litany of choices.
Defending champion Foran High and last year’s runner-up Killingly High drew the most votes.
Avon, Ledyard, Waterford, Joel Barlow and Suffield/Windsor Locks were also in the mix, with other squads mentioned for boasting top notch grapplers.
By the time the finalists took the mat on Saturday evening, none of those conversations carried any weight.
Coach Rich Bowen’s Redmen from Killingly had risen to the top.
With four matmen winning individual titles, Killingly led M’s with 202.5 points.
Foran (161) was second, followed by Avon (151), Barlow (133), Suffield/ Windsor Locks (132), Ledyard (130.5) and Waterford (124.5).
“The start of our season wasn’t great,” said Bowen, he of the 600-plus victories and now four state titles. “We struggled, things weren’t going right. We lost to Ledyard and that woke us up. We went to work and were more committed. They began to understand that every day mattered.”
The culmination of which were titles won by Dan Charron (106 pounds), Mike Charron (113 pounds), David Charron (126 pounds) and Derek Turner (170 pounds).
“I don’t know what we are going to without the Charron twins,” Bowen said. “I’ve had them for two years, and with their older brother Matt that makes six. Luckily we have David back for another season.
“After that loss to Ledyard, our captains, with Derek Turner the catalyst, took over our next practice. It was much more vigorous, which I was excited to see. As a team they wanted to get better.”
Turner said. “We had great leaders last year. This time it fell on our shoulders, the Charrons, Travis [Johnson], Greg Gosselin and me. We didn’t like what we saw early in the room, and after that loss we tipped it over and picked it up. We started to like what we saw. Our mindset as a team went to wrestling above your seed: if you are a six be a four. As a family, we fight for each other.”
Foran High coach Dave Esposito had no regrets.
“We started out 6-0 in consolations, which is our recipe,” said the Lion mentor who had led his team to a pair of titles in the past four years. “The top guys for Killingly are so good. We were going to need to win this thing from the backside (wrestlebacks).
“Our guys did their best, which win or lose is good enough for me. I don’t hope other team’s wrestlers lose on other mats. I leave it up to the wrestlers to decide.”
The Lions’ Nolan Bannon won the 220-pound title and Umer Khan was second at 170 pounds.
“We practice only from 2:10 to 4, but we’re working from 2:10 to 4,” Bannon said of wrestling for coach Esposito. “The coaches are strict with that time and how we handle that time. We get it done in the room. They want us to have time for homework and time for being a student.”
Khan said, “I just wanted to give it my best shot and make my teammates proud. The best of being a Foran wrestler is rooting for your teammates, seeing them grow. It’s awesome.”
BEST OF THE BEST
Sean Johnson has gone where no one from Ellis Tech, and few from the state, have gone when the senior captured his fourth consecutive Class M championship with a 17-6 victory over No. 2 seed Eric Zane from Waterford at 138 pounds.
“I started young and to get from where I started to where I am, I have to credit my coach [Rafael Calixto] and my family,” said Johnson, who will bring a 165-14 career record into the State Open. “I love wrestling because anything can happen. It is such a grind.”
Leading Zane in his final 9-2, Johnson found himself in trouble. “I was like...He threw me what happened...You can’t take anything for granted.”
Johnson, a two-time Open finalist, scored 8 of the next 10 points.
MATCH OF NOTE
East Haven’s No. 3 seed Victor Garcia defeated Suffield/Windsor Lock’s No. 4 seed Zachary Johns, 9-7 in the consolation finals. Wrestling for third with a guaranteed spot in next week’s State Open, did nothing to slow the pride and poise brothers from putting on a show.
Johns scored seven points in the final 25 seconds of regulation to tie things. In the extra session, Garcia fought off a takedown attempt and got the two points himself with time winding down. The senior had a hug for Johns before having his hand raised. Good show — and Johns is only a freshman...
BROTHERS
After his twin brothers Dan (at 106 pounds) and Mike (at 113 pounds) battled to win their weight classes 5-1 and 5-4, respectively, junior David Charron extended a 2-0 lead to win his 126-pound final 8-0.
HIGH SEEDS
Bethel High’s Eamon Toland Matos was the highest seed to get to the final, where the No. 7 seed at 132 pounds defeated No. 4 seed Alec DiVito from East Haven, 12-4.
Killingly High’s 132pounder Trevor Johnson was fresh off upending top-seeded Tyler Miller from Ledyard, when the senior tried to explain how as the No. 9 seed his was the highest ranking to advance to the semifinal round.
“Honestly, it’s a very tough class,” said Johnson, who wrestled back to place fifth with a 7-1 win over Ellis Tech’s No. 3 seed Caleb Ferland. “I’ve lost some close matches.”
Johnson used this past spring to compete in Greco tournaments in Europe. He returned home with more knowledge and some injured ribs.
“I did get banged up, and they were hurting (during the season), but I’m fine now,” he said.
Johnson was only one of coach Rich Bowen’s seniors looking for redemption of sorts.
“Foran had just an unbelievable Class M, with every guy finding a way to win,” he said of the Lions, who placed 12 wrestlers to garner the title over the Redmen a year ago. “Last year we won ECC’s by half a point, and we won it again this year by a larger margin. We have great guys in the room and they were all focused on winning M’s.”
NOTEABLE
“I believe this is the third straight year, the numbers of bouts have gone up,” Tournament Director Bob Swan said. “We had 31 teams competing and had 495 bouts (with 317 wrestlers). The classes are evened out (by boys enrollment), but it seems we keep getting more bouts.”