By GERRY deSIMAS, JR.
Connecticut Wrestling Online
WOODBURY, Feb. 7, 2004 -- As Nonnewaug High wrestling coach Dave Green made his preparations for the 22nd annual Berkshire League Tournament, he anticipated a tight, close-knit affair. His Chief wrestlers proved him wrong.
Nonnewaug captured its eighth straight BL Tournament Saturday with the third-highest margin of victory in the tournament's history, beating Northwestern Regional 210.5 to 146. The Chiefs had eight wrestlers in the finals, crowned three champions and clinched the BL championship for the seventh time in the last eight years.
Northwestern, only in its third varsity campaign as a team, had four champions led by Joel Webster (130), the first wrestler in league history to be named the outstanding wrestler of the tournament more than once. Webster, who easily pinned Gilbert's George Centrella in 1:56, was named outstanding wrestler in the 2003 tournament. Matt Brett (112) and Chris Marks (152) each won their second BL titles.
Thomaston's Al Rice, who has been suffered with a sore knee all season, avenged an earlier loss to Housatonic's Josh Morey with a tight 5-3 victory to win a title at 160 and become just the fifth wrestler in league history to win four straight BL titles.
But the day belonged to Nonnewaug, which received several stirring performances. One of the most impressive came from Alex Gibson (135) in his 4-2 decision over top-seeded Greg Hom of Lewis Mills thanks to a takedown with 27 seconds left in the match.
Gibson, who had been pinned by Hom at the Silk City Classic in January, got three single leg takedown attempts in the match but couldn't finish and earn the points. Hom took a 2-1 lead with a reversal with 1:17 left in the third period but Gibson escaped with 44 seconds left to tie the bout at 2-2.
Again, Gibson swooped in and got a single leg but this time, he lifted Hom off the mat and took him down for the winning takedown.
"It's not the shot in the first period that wins it," Green said. "But it sets up the takedown that does win it in the third period. You just can't start shooting in the third period."
Nonnewaug's top-seeded Jeremy Pavlik (145) easily won his second straight BL title while teammate Andy Dohan (275) pinned Housatonic's Robert Fife in 4:31 to also claim his second BL title.
Northwestern's Webster had three pins to win his third straight BL championship and improve to 36-0 on the season. His longest match was a pin in 2:52 in the semifinals. Marks improved to 35-0 with his 10-1 victory in the finals over Nonnewaug's Mike Barre.
Rice battled to win his championship at 160 pounds. Leading 3-2 in the second period, Morey escaped with 36 seconds left to tie the score at 3-3. But Morey relaxed for a moment and Rice was able to get behind Morey, trip him and get a takedown with 11 seconds left for a 5-3 lead. In the third, Morey was unable to turn Rice to his back and score.
Ryan Chapman (140) won a title for Thomaston with a pin of Housatonic's Keith Godfrey but two other wrestlers fell in the finals. Thomaston, which had hoped to contend for the tournament crown, finished a disappointing fourth. Two other Thomaston wrestlers took third and three took fourth.
Wolcott Tech had a pair of champions for the first time since 1996. Sophomore Matt Mackiewicz (125) of Harwinton erased an early 2-1 deficit and pinned top-seeded Brandon Glover of Nonnewaug in 5:33, turning him with a painful double chicken wing.
At 189, senior Martin Hurd was trailing 7-2 in the second period against Thomaston's Mike Melillo but Hurd escaped. When Melillo shot on him, Hurd sprawled, pushed Melillo's head down and threw in a half-nelson flinging Melillo to his back. With seconds, the match was over.
Terryville's Joe Kucia, who won a BL title in 2002, outlasted Nonnewaug's Andy Waller with a 5-3 decision at 171. Gilbert's Mike Marino (215) beat Nonnewaug's Lewis Barre, 5-3 thanks to a reversal with 17 seconds left in the third period while Yellowjacket teammate Tony Leger (119) won by technical fall over Northwestern's Mike Berger.
With the win, Nonnewaug clinched the league championship. The BL instituted a new point system this year, awarding two points for each dual meet victory and one point for every team beaten at the league tournament. Nonnewaug finished with 20 points while Northwestern and Thomaston finished tied for second place with 15 points each.
Thanks to Kucia's victory, Terryville nipped Thomaston for third place by one point, 136-135. Gilbert was fifth with 86.5 points while Wolcott Tech (80) was sixth. Housatonic was seventh with 67.5 points.
2004 Berkshire League Tournament
At Woodbury
Team results 1. Nonnewaug 210.5, 2. Northwestern
Regional 146, 3. Terryville 136, 4. Thomaston 135, 5.
Gilbert 86.5, 6. Wolcott Tech 80, 7. Housatonic 65.5,
8. Wamogo 23, 9. Lewis Mills 17
Individual results
103 pounds
Championship: Tim Mandel (NWR) pin Jeff
Ritucci (Th), 1:51; 3. Andy McCorkle (N) dec. Rhett
Blair (Tv), 7-2; 5. Drew Stomski (N) dec. Joel Lasko
(H), 4-2
112 pounds
Championship: Matt Brett (NWR) tech fall
John Lucarelle (N), 20-1; 3. Casey Spinella (N) pin
Mike DeFiore (Th), 2:39; 5. Tom Montague (Tv) dec.
Justin Pelletier (Tv), 12-6
119 pounds Championship: Tony Leger (G) tech fall
Mike Berger (NWR), 16-0; 3. Keith Schiefer-stein (N)
dec. Cory Lass (Tv), 9-2; 5. Rich Hoadley (WT) pin Ben
Spargo (Tv), 0:20
125 pounds Championship: Matt Mackiewicz (WT) pin
Brandon Glover (N), 5:33; 3. Tony Blekis (Tv) dec.
Jonathan Bonett (H), 6-4; 5. James Dombrowski (G) pin
Zach Humphrey (NWR), 4:18
130 pounds Championship: Joel Webster (NWR) pin
George Centrella (G), 1:56; 3. Ben Strachan (Wam) dec.
Tyler Wentland (Tv), 6-0; 5. Corey Tonning (N) dec.
Joe Leveillee (Th), 12-0
135 pounds Championship: Alex Gibson (N) dec. Greg
Hom (Mills), 4-2; 3. Jared Griffin (Tv) dec. Devin
Lewis (NWR), 10-8; 5. Mike Sweeney (N) pin Justin
Chapman (Th), 0:47
140 pounds Championship: Ryan Chapman (Th) pin Keith
Godfrey (H), 1:30; 3. Jason Crane (N) pin Eric
Bouchard (Tv), 2:58; 5. Vinny Kacerguis (N) pin Ryan
Humphrey (NW), 3:24
145 pounds Championship: Jeremy Pavlik (N) tech fall
Lucas Clunan (Tv), 17-1; 3. Ryan Simmons (N) dec. Rob
Kerr (Tv), 11-9; 5. Brad Hackert (Th) pin Mike
McCotter (NWR), 0:24
152 pounds Championship: Chris Marks (NWR) dec. Mike
Barre (N), 10-1; 3. Jon Mozelak (Th) dec. Tristan
Morenz (Wam), 7-4; 5. Tory Gunderson (G) dec. Robert
Pelky (Th), 9-6
160 pounds Championship: Al Rice (Th) dec. Josh
Morey (H), 5-3; 3. Jason Lafontaine (Th) pin Dom
Ferruzzi (WT), 1:52; 5. John Groth (G) pin Stuart
Ziarnik (NWR), 0:39
171 pounds Championship: Joe Kucia (Tv) dec. Andy
Waller (N), 5-3; 3. Steve Bessette (WT) pin Eric Blum
(Th), 2:17; 5. Todd Carusillo (WT) dec. Justin Cronan
(Tv), 7-6
189 pounds Championship: Martin Hurd (WT) pin Mike
Melillo (Th), 3:13; 3. Ryan Mowrey (N) pin Britt
Mulready (N), 1:28; 5. Adam Yarichowicz (Tv) def. Mike
Hester (WT), injury default
215 pounds
Championship: Mike Marino (G) dec. Lewis Barre (N), 5-3; 3. Mike Coleman (NWR) dec. Mike
Skorupski (Th), 15-3; 5. Steve Alquesta (H) pin Garren
Mastricola (WT), 0:47
275 pounds
Championship: Andy Dohan (N) pin Robert Fife (H), 4:31; 3. Keith Shadrick (Tv) pin Ben
Kendrick (G), 1:52; 5. Chris Martin (NWR) pin Adam
Shortell (Th), 1:36
Outstanding wrestler: Joel Webster (130), Northwestern
Regional
Fast fall: Cory Lass (112), Terryville, 0:12
Final league standings: Final league standings:
Nonnewaug 20, Thomaston and Northwestern Regional 15,
Terryville 12, Wolcott Tech 7, Housatonic and Gilbert
4, Wamogo 1, Lewis Mills 0. Teams earn two points for
each dual meet victory and one point for each team
beaten at the league tournament.
