Danbury, Ryan Jack win 4th consecutive title
Warde finishes in second
NEW HAVEN — Danbury captured the State Open title for the fourth consecutive season at the Floyd Little Athletic Center in New Haven on Saturday.
Leading the way was 138- pound senior Ryan Jack, who won his fourth consecutive Open title with a 13- 5 victory over Thomas Nichols from Bristol Eastern.
“This is my favorite time that we’ve won at the Open,” said Jack, named the Most Outstanding Wrestler. “Our team really connected.”
“Not many people have done what RJ has done,” Danbury coach Ricky Shook said. “You have to be good, you have to be healthy. Four- timers will always be remembered.”
The Hatters posted 193 points to better Warde
( 146), Xavier ( 127), Simsbury ( 99) and Barlow ( 88.5).
The top finishers in each weight class will compete at the 56th annual New England Wrestling Championships scheduled for
March 7 and 8, at Methuen High School in Methuen, Mass.
Shook said: “I’m happy any season to get out of here with one champion. As long as we do it as a team I’m fine with that. We’ve had better teams, but this one has the best workers and is the funnest of my teams.”
The Hatters, with three runners- up, two third- place finishers along with a fourth and a fifth, will take a school record eight wrestlers to New Englands.
“To score there ( New Englands) you have to bring numbers,” Shook said. “The Massachusetts teams go through harder paths to get there.”
Warde qualified seven for New Englands.
“We did awesome,” coach Jason Shaughnessy said. “Our goal is to beat kids we lost. We are bring seven to New Englans and placed eight. We won some tough matches these last two days.”
“Jay does a great team with his team,” Shook said.
“In the past, 90 to 95% of the time, 146 points would win this. We’ve been battling them for three weeks ( FCIACS, Class LL Open).”
Jaylin Houston from New Haven won his second straight heavyweight title with a 5- 1 victory over Shelton’s Matt Weiner.
“I was used to taking third and fourths at tournaments,” Houston said. “People even think that state champs are something, and they are, but this is the place that everything matters. Everyone I wrestled was very good, and each of them taught me something.”
Four prior State Open champions had a chance to add titles — Xavier’s Michael Rapuano at 113, Jack at 138, New Canaan’s Tyler Sung at 152 and Barlow’s Carson LiCastri at 195 — and each one triumphed.
LAST SECOND COMEBACK
Southington senior Billy Carr was chasing points against Amity’s Simon
Flaherty for most of their 182- pound final. With five seconds left he took a 4- 3 lead and held off an escape try in the final five seconds to win.
“I had to scrap for every point because he is a great wrestler,” Carr said. “Every point was so hard. Maybe next week ( at New Englands), he gets me but this feels great.”
UNBEATEN SENIORS MEET
Tommy Mazur from Westhill defeated Ryan Powers, 14- 4, in the 170pound final. Mazur improved to 35- 0 with the win. Powers, from Lyman Memorial/ Windham Tech, is now 44- 1.
PERFECT SEASONS
Sung, Barlow’s Josh Brault ( 106), and Avon’s Christopher Gens ( 220) will take unbeatens records to New Englands.
“It is so surreal,” said Brault ( 37- 0). “I’ve wanted to win in this building ( at Opens) for what seems like forever. To get it now and to close out my Connecticut season undefeated is a testament to my teammates and coaches.”
SUNG BREAKS EVEN
Sung’s 6- 0 victory against Warde’s Cole Shaughnessy gave the Ram senior his second straight Open title. He finished as Open runner- up his first two years.
“I had to keep my mindset,” said Sung. “There has been a lot of adversity. I lost my Mom and missed most of the year. Coming back, I kept thinking of my mom passing away so I cleaned up my technique and worked on things I needed to do to win.”
CURRIER LIVES OUT DREAM
Drew Currier lost to unbeaten freshman phenom Joe Iamunno from North Haven earlier this season, then defeated him 5- 0 to win the 120- pound title.
“I’ve been thinking of this moment ever since that loss,” Currier said. “He is so good on top, I worked a lot in practice from the bottom and went in knowing I had to keep my space.”